ADHD Parenting

By Lorraine Forris, MSW, LCSW

As a child and family therapist for over 20 years, the author has been asked by parents to write about strategies she has seen to be effective for children with ADHD. For busy, on-the-go parents and care-givers who want help now, without reading a textbook, this book is designed to help you work out what to do in practical ways everyday.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorraine Forris, MSW, LCSW
• Release date: Mar 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458142733

Book preview

ADHD

PARENTING

By Lorraine M. Forris, MSW, LCSW

2nd Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Lorraine M. Forris, MSW, LCSW.

All Rights Reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this ebook should be used as medical advice and the author makes no representation that any treatments or medications are better than others. Always consult a licensed professional to obtain a diagnosis and treatment plan. This ebook is not intended to prevent, cure, or treat any illness.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2. A POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS

Chapter 3. PROFESSIONAL HELP

Chapter 4. DISCIPLINE

Chapter 5. PRAISE

Chapter 6. EVERYDAY SOLUTIONS

Chapter 7. SOCIAL SKILLS

Chapter 8. HANDLING TRANSITIONS

Chapter 9. STAYING POSITIVE

Appendix I. Favorite Quotes for Parents

Appendix II. Tips for Parents

Online Resources.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ADHDchoices

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children with ADHD. Anyone who works with children has their share of challenges, but you are challenged to be creatively resourceful, endlessly patient, and more insightful than you ever imagined because (as you undoubtedly know), raising, teaching, and caring for a child with ADHD requires a special skill set that is not required for other children.

Who among us has not been frustrated and puzzled as to how to most effectively help these children? Have we not felt their disappointment, rejection, and even hopelessness right along with them? This book of methods, skills, techniques, and solutions has been written for you! Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, day care assistant, or any role you may hold in the care and lives of these children, our goal is to give you workable solutions that are based in real experiences and have proven results. The tools here are tried and true, but not every tool, recommendation, strategy, or combination thereof, will help every individual child. Because of every child's unique nature, we welcome and encourage you to find the ones that work for you and your child. This book is not intended to be a textbook or treatise on the etiology of this disorder, but rather a short, practical, to do and not to do discussion of strategies for parents. This book is written in response to requests from parents over the years for a practical handbook of what they can DO to help their child.

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

Every fall, shortly after school resumes, a steady stream of frustrated parents and their equally frustrated children march through my office seeking help, more often than not, because a teacher, guidance counselor, or other school representative has told them they are likely to have ADHD and need to get on medication. In my practice as a child therapist, I have seen it all in the type of child referred: children who have ADHD, children who have symptoms similar to ADHD (such as anxiety or depression)and children who don’t have ADHD at all.

Before any session with a new family, especially those recommended by the education system, I remind parents that a teacher or school representative is not qualified to diagnose ADHD nor can they require a parent to medicate their child. Diagnosis for ADHD is sometimes tricky as symptoms can be very generic, wide-reaching, and attributed to any number of mental health diagnoses. Treatment is not as simple as a prescription, as we will discuss in a later chapter. I encourage families to remain open-minded and focused on the best interests of the child.

Personal History

My first personal experience with ADHD was in the early 1990’s. I was