Adhd #1
Does your child struggle with self-control, planning or emotional regulation?
Your child may or may not be identified as someone with ADHD. Even without the diagnosis, you may notice your child struggles with staying focused, working through big feelings, or thinking before acting. Maybe teachers or friends have even commented on how energized or distractible your child seems?
Don’t worry! There are evidenced-based practices that are easy for you to do at home to help things feel more manageable!
Executive functioning is a broad term that is best understood as 11 specific skills including:
response inhibition (thinking before acting),
working memory (paying attention to stimulus present),
emotional regulation (identifying and managing feelings),
sustained attention (maintaining focus on a task),
task initiation (beginning a chore/assignment/activity),
planning/prioritizing (thinking through parts of a project/event and making action steps in an appropriate order),
organization (using systems to stay on top of schedules, work etc.),
time management (understanding how long things may take and how to plan accordingly),
goal-directed persistence (staying focused on a goal or outcome despite challenges),
flexibility (adjusting to unexpected changes), and
metacognition (awareness of one’s thoughts).*
I know that’s a long list, but I want you to take a moment and think about which two areas your child may have a strength in…..Okay, now go back to the list and decide which two areas your child really struggles with.
Got them? Great job! That’s the first step. When you are able to narrow down exactly which skill(s) your child is struggling with, you can make a more effective plan of action. If you aren’t sure where your child shines or struggles, then pause and take some time just observing them throughout the day.
Are morning and bedtime routines always a struggle because they get caught up in playing with toys? Maybe they struggle with time management.
Do you have to repeat a direction ten times before they do it? Maybe they could use some help with sustained attention.
Are they really good at adjusting to schedule changes or unexpected errands? I bet they have a relative strength in flexibility!
Take time to just notice what your child is doing over the course of one to three days. Jot down some notes. Try to remain as neutral as possible. For example, rather than “He was so angry and would not listen to me so he purposely threw a chair!”. You could instead write, “I noticed he was having some big feelings and struggled to accept help. I think he may struggle with emotional control.”
Once you finish the detective work, come back next week to hear what you can do next!
*A parent friendly explanation of executive functioning skills can be found in Dr. Dawson and Dr. Guare’s book “Smart but Scattered”.
