WILL MY CHILD HAVE ADHD FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE?
As your child gets older, it is likely that his ADHD will be easier to cope with. Your child will be able to deal with nearly all of his ADHD symptoms if you give him/her the proper support needed. However, if your child is not well supported, he is at risk for poor achievement in academics; he is also more likely to have social and emotional problems. Engaging in activities independently or doing activities that require him to put in long-term effort, will be challenging. In some cases, these difficulties could continue into the child’s teens.

WHAT OTHER DIFFICULTIES COULD MY CHILD HAVE?
When someone has ADHD it is very common that they would have a second disorder that affects their functioning. Learning disabilities can occur in half of the children with ADHD, which leads to children having difficulties in performing to their full potential in speaking, reading, writing and mathematics. Oppositional defiant disorder occurs in almost half of the children with ADHD. This is a behavior disorder characterized by testing limits and disobeying and defying. This can be mild or quite severe and interfere with school, home etc. In extreme cases, there could be conduct disorder, in which the child could exhibit behaviors serious enough to be considered harmful – stealing, starting physical fights, bullying others etc. Mood disorders occur in 20 to 30 percent of individuals with ADHD; depression being much more common. A small percentage of kids with ADHD also have Tourette’s (chronic vocal and motor tics).

ARE THERE ANY MEDICATIONS MY CHILD CAN TAKE TO HELP HIS ADHD?
There are medications to help ADHD patients. However, it is important to remember that these medications are meant to treat the symptoms of ADHD, and not ADHD itself. The most common type of medication used for treating ADHD is called a “stimulant”. These stimulants will have a calming effect on your child. They will also reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as improve your child’s ability to focus, work, and learn, but one medication that may be right for one child may not be right for another. These medications also come with side effects, the most common being decreased appetite, sleep problems, anxiety, and irritability. Some children have also had mild stomach aches or headaches. Your doctor will ask you about your family history of heart disease and tics (unusual involuntary movements of the face or body) and special precautions may be necessary if you have had family members with these conditions. Your doctor will also want to monitor your child’s growth and blood pressure on a regular basis.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD?
Understand your child’s condition: The more you know about ADHD, the easier it will be to understand why your child takes forever to get his clothes on or constantly forgets his pencil box at school. The more you understand, the better prepared you’ll be to identify and build his strengths. Remember that your child’s behavior is related to a disorder. Most of the time it is not intentional.

Identify and support your child’s strengths: Parenting a child with ADHD can be so overwhelming it’s easy to lose sight of how wonderful your child is. You’ll enjoy parenting more if you can take breaks from being the teacher, organizer, and disciplinarian once in a while and just play with your child on his level.

Remind yourself daily of your child’s strengths, and remind him, too. After all, your child’s strengths are what will take him forward in the long run.

Changes you can make at home and school to help your child:
Children with ADHD are more likely to succeed in completing tasks when the tasks occur in predictable patterns and in predictable places. Your can help by creating and sustaining structure in your home, so that your child knows what to expect and what they are expected to do. Children with ADHD need consistent rules that they can understand and follow. Make the rules of behavior for the family simple and clear. They also respond particularly well to organized systems of rewards and consequences. Do your best to focus on giving positive praise for appropriate behavior and task completion, while giving as few negative responses as possible to inappropriate behavior or poor task performance. Reward your child for small achievements that you might take for granted in another child.
You can talk to a counselor about these and other ways in which you can bring about changes to help your child.

Parent support groups and how they help:
As parents, you may often feel alone and unsupported. Consider seeing a counselor or joining a support group. It can be comforting to talk to other parents who know what you’re going through. These groups offer a forum for giving and receiving advice, and provide a safe place to vent feelings and share experiences.