Articles
Browse every published article connected to Sherrie Hardy, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
Articles
Browse every published article connected to Sherrie Hardy, or search within this exact expert archive.
Attention Deficit Disorder affects each individual differently. It is hard for “Dylan” to sit still during circle time. He fidgets with his shoe lace and squirms in his spot. His movement distracts other students from listening to the story. When the teacher asks the class to predict what will happen next, “Dylan’s” hand shoots up and the words pop out of his mouth at the same time.
When parents of children with ADD and ADHD reflect on their interactions with their children, many find that a high percentage of those communications involve negativity. Daily nagging, yelling, threatening, pleading, and punishing are not what most parents signed up for. These parents fear the next 12 years will follow this same, exhausting path. They wonder how other parents of children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder survive and they pray for a magic solution to make life easier.
Praise can be very powerful when used correctly. Here are three easy tips to help parents implement praise in a way that motivates children with ADD and ADHD and boosts their self-esteem: 1. Be Genuine
For some curious folk, any conversation around them distracts them from their task. Their brain automatically wonders what fascinating topic is on the table. Others couldn´t really care. This group has a desire to constantly check their e-mail, facebook, and cell phone for the most current “local news.” Still others allow themselves to be distracted by preventable feelings of hunger or lack of energy. It is important to help our children reflect on what distracts them most and help them eliminate the culprit as much as possible. Below are some ideas to help.
As the end of summer approaches, some students with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder begin to dread the first day of school. They become anxious and worried without being able to pinpoint the reason. They get headaches or stomach aches at the mere thought of walking in the school door. They pass sleepless nights and can even get nauseous. ADHD anxiety is a real issue for these students. Preparing these students for the transition can help lessen the stress involved. 1. School Supplies
Parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder often find that the hours and money spent on tutoring does not significantly improve their children’s grades. This is because tutoring and remedial programs do not address the root of the issue.
Imagine a child who can play legos for hours. He loves to build the most intricate fantasy lands with castles, bridges and towns. He is also a fantastic artist. He pencils very creative cartoons. When he is doing either of those two activities, he is able to direct his concentration for long periods of time. He couldn’t have ADD or ADHD, right? Wrong. Many parents witness their children concentrating on interesting hobbies or events and become confused as to why their children cannot maintain that same level of focus in the classroom or while cleaning their rooms.
Children with Attention Deficit Disorder should not have to suffer from insomnia, headaches or nervousness in order to be able to focus on school work. Natural ADD and ADHD treatments exist without the side effects caused by many of the common pharmaceuticals available. Millisecond Timing
Parent teacher conferences are an opportune time to get to know more about how your child spends the seven hours a day away from you. It is a great opportunity to see your child in a different light and share more about your child’s personality with the teacher. It is a chance to get to know that infrequently seen teammate who is working hard to help your child’s learning process at school while you are parenting at home. Here are seven ideas to help you make the most of the short time you will have with the teacher: Ahead of time
How can parents help their child do homework if they don’t know what the assignment is or don’t have the materials necessary to complete it? They can’t! Organizational skills are not innate and they are often a particular struggle for ADHD children. Taking time to create and individualized organizational system can make a huge difference especially for students with ADD and ADHD. Identify the Assignment and Know the Due Date
It is no wonder that many beginning readers struggle. Reading Comprehension is a more complicated process than many of us realize. To truly understand a two line text, it is necessary to follow about ten* (yes, ten!) different steps.
Lucky people have an ability to turn their bad luck into good fortune. There are obstacles and disappointments in everyone’s lives. Being lucky doesn´t mean you eliminate them all. It has to do with how we look at them. Dr. Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, found three particular commonalities in lucky people’s management of tough moments. They:
Answering the questions on page 94 is an easy, albeit boring request for many children. They simply take out the book, notebook and pencil. They turn to page 94, read the first question and re-read the text to locate the answer. Then, they summarize the information, write it down and continue on to the next question. However, for many students with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder this task is not so easy.
Lucky people listen to their gut and take steps to boost intuition. In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell draws on history, neuroscience and psychology to reflect on the choices we seem to make in an instant. He states that “decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately.”
Parenting children with Attention Deficit Disorder is difficult and often times exhausting. Parents often find themselves yelling and nagging their children to hurry up, calm down or help out. These parents need a solution for everyone’s sanity and happiness. However, the option of using a stimulant drug like Ritalin scares many parents. What other ADD and ADHD treatment options exist? Is there a safe and permanent solution available? Brain Training
Parents know their children best. As their children’s advocates, parents sometimes need to share information with the teacher to help students get the maximum experience out of their school day. Without this information, teachers may misunderstand behaviors, attitudes and responses. Here are some ideas to think about as you plan for your next parent teacher conference. 1. Prioritize the Information
Students who need help with ADHD and ADD experience difficulty with more than just the ability to pay attention, focus and concentrate. These children can also experience issues with organization, difficulty finishing tasks, and executive functioning.
The job description for Parent is overwhelmingly long. One of the trickier tasks involves helping to guide children’s behavior in a constructive and effective way. It requires vast amounts of patience, self control and perseverance. To be successful, it needs a pocket full of tricks able to be applied in a variety of planned and surprise circumstances. Here are suggestions and tips to keep in mind to make these encounters more successful: 1. Set the Example
Many parents of children with ADD and ADHD will read the title and throw up their hands. Come on. Really? Praising children has been a technique used for motivation since the beginning of time. It can backfire? Hold on. Don’t throw up the white flag yet. Here it is boiled down to three simple errors to avoid when praising your children: Avoid Praising Intelligence
Just like a football team gathers together mid-game to check-in and make adjustments, so too should parents and teachers huddle to quickly confirm how things are going and make any modifications to the plan created during parent teacher conferences.
During this season of shopping, wrapping and opening gifts, it is worthwhile to take some time to remind children that giving of themselves is the most important. Try these ideas to make your holiday season more meaningful for your family: 1. Family Trip to Food Pantry
ADHD children struggle to pay attention, control their behavior and organize themselves. At school, activities that are simple for most kids like sitting still in the circle or finishing the worksheet are a real challenge for ADHD children. At home, family dinners are not peaceful and getting ready on time in the morning is frustratingly complicated.
“It’s all fun and games until...” Because of the change in routine, excitement surrounding presents and the sheer number of people around, holiday parties can end abruptly with a breakdown. Enjoy your holiday party to the fullest by following these suggestions: Beforehand • Assess the Appropriateness of Bringing Your Child
As parents we often multitask. We try to help with homework between stirring the sizzling dinner, doing laundry and answering the phone. With all the demands we have on our time, we don´t always seem to have a choice.
Grant is sitting on his leg and tapping his pencil. As his mom observes the class, she notices that many of the other children are already turning in their work. Grant doesn’t even have one word written on the page. When the student sitting next to him complains about the tapping, the teacher kindly asks Grant to stop. He is quiet for a minute, but then begins hitting his shoe on the leg of the chair. The teacher recently reported that the number of incomplete assignments has placed Grant at risk for not passing 5th grade. Grant suffers from ADHD.
Finding the time to sit down and read aloud with our children is difficult. Evenings are often packed. We get home late from work or activities with the kids. We need to make dinner, help with homework and get our children to sleep. We deserve a little time to ourselves to do email, watch a favorite TV program or chat with our partner. However, by not sticking read aloud in to the family routine, we are missing out on an opportunity to facilitate our child’s life long literacy.
Children with ADHD and ADD are intelligent and capable. However, they need extra support to help them manage their ADHD symptoms. Implementing the following suggestions will increase children with Attention Deficit Disorder’s ability to manage their ADHD symptoms while minimizing factors that exasperate the issues. 1. Exercise
Students with ADD and ADHD often feel like the world is against them. Their parents express disappointment and frustration about their poor grades, lack of self-control and unfinished chores. Their teachers consistently nag them about their missing homework, interruptions and impulsive reactions during recess. Kids at school shun them because they are rough, unpredictable and don’t follow social norms. All this negativity weighs heavily on children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.