How Can I Help My ADHD Child?

Raising kids is always challenging, but if your child has attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), the challenges are multiplied. Is there anything you can do to make life easier for your child?

There are many things a parent can do to help their ADHD child. The first area to work on is your child's diet. This doesn't help every child with this condition, but it may help yours. It's important to eliminate any foods that contain caffeine, including coffee, iced tea, green tea, coffee, and many sodas.

Foods with a high sugar content may also make symptoms worse. Most cereals at the grocery store are loaded with sugar. And many parents aren't aware of how much sugar fruit juices contain. It's important to read the nutrition labels on the food you buy.

Sensitivities to MSG, tartrazine (an artificial food coloring), and artificial preservatives may also trigger symptoms in your child.

Food allergies are very common in kids with ADHD. You may want to try removing wheat and refined carbohydrates from your child's diet for a few weeks. Wheat intolerance can cause hyperactivity. Try brown rice, oats, and rye bread as substitutes.

Include lots of fresh fruit and veggies in your child's diet. Try making your own salad dressings, as many commercial ones contain high levels of fat, sugar, and artificial coloring and preservatives. There are lots of recipes online. Your child will enjoy helping you make them.

Nearly every grocery store carries a wide variety of non-caffeinated herb teas today. Let your child chooses the ones he likes. Sweeten it with stevia instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners.

A daily multivitamin supplement is a must.

It's important to include your child in these dietary changes. You'll probably need to do it gradually. Start teaching him which foods he needs to avoid, and be firm about it. But remember to be flexible, too. If you make his life miserable, he's not going to have any interest in working with you. And it's hard to be the only one not drinking a soda, so don't expect too much at first. It's not going to hurt him to go to a birthday party once in a while, and eat cake with his friends.

Be sure to establish a routine, especially with homework. It's important to keep things organized around the house. Reward good behavior immediately, and be consistent with discipline. Be sure to notice when he does the right thing, and try not to dwell on the times when he doesn't.

Too much TV or video games can cause some kids to have trouble concentrating in school. Try to avoid these things on school nights and before school in the morning.

Certain structured activities can really help your child. Sports like karate and judo have a focus. They involve lots of moving around, and also provide an appropriate and controlled physical outlet.

Any activity with individualized instruction is helpful. Learning to play a musical instrument is a good example. And try to find something with a reward your child can see and feel, like a prize or medal. Avoid activities that involve fine motor skills or a lot of sitting around. Your child needs lots of physical movement, and also something that he can stay focused on, too.

Getting him tired out will help him sleep at night, too. It's essential for him to have a good night's rest, so he can concentrate in school the next day. Keeping video games and TV to a minimum should help with this, too.

Good communication between parents and teachers is important for these kids, so be sure to stay in touch with his teachers. Everyone should be focusing on the positives, not the negatives!

When you lose your cool, don't be too hard on yourself. If things go wrong, don't beat yourself up. You and your child need to apologize to each other, hug each other, and move on!

These suggestions may help you in managing your child's symptoms of ADHD.