Sometimes, even after working hard on behavioral and organizational strategies to help manage ADHD symptoms, there may still be frustration. If your child continues to experience overwhelming issues with inattention and/or impulsivity and hyperactivity, you and your child’s doctor may decide on a trial of medication. While medication is not a “cure” for ADHD, it can often make it easier for your child to have more control and better manage symptoms.
You are right that it is important to talk to your child about the medication and explain the reasons for trying it, as well as exploring any feelings your child has around the issue. The same is true of talking to your child about ADHD in general. When kids have accurate information, it demystifies ADHD for them. In other words, the ADHD and medication are less of a mystery and a child is less apt to come up with inaccurate assumptions.
Also, when a child understands more about ADHD and how it affects him or her individually, it can be empowering to that child. With accurate information, children can then begin to work with their parents and teachers to develop coping strategies that work for them. Children are also more likely to find and develop their areas of strength as they gain better control over challenging symptoms of ADHD.
So to your original question about explaining the medication use, here are a few ideas:
Talking About ADHD Medication With Your Child
- Explain to your child that medication can help kids with ADHD pay better attention and focus on one thing at a time. Medicine can help children stop and think and have a little more control over their body and their responses, particularly if they need to slow down a bit or have a lot of trouble sitting still when they need to. It can also help kids with ADHD concentrate and think things through, plan ahead, and organize a little better. Gear the discussion to the symptom area in which your child has most difficulty.
- It is important for your child to understand that the medicine does not “get rid” of ADHD. It doesn’t automatically take care of everything. What the medicine does is make things a little more manageable for a child. Your child will still need to work hard on following rules, learning new skills and making good decisions day-to-day. Let your child know that the medicine will not control him or her, but it will allow your child to have better control.
- Your child should know that it may take a little time to figure out what medicine at what dose will be best for him or her. All kids are unique and respond differently to each medicine. It is normal for there to be a trial period of adjusting and tweaking to find the best fit. This is why you’ll need to be in close communication with the doctor about how the medicine feels and what effect it has.
- Talk openly with your child about the name of the medicine he or she will be taking. Ask the doctor about side effects. Most side effects are fairly mild and tend to occur early on during the adjustment phase. Some medicines for ADHD can reduce appetite and may result in stomachaches, headaches, irritability, difficulties with sleep, and can even make a child feel a little jittery. Encourage your child to share about any uncomfortable feelings the medication brings, so that you can both address this with the doctor.
- Sometimes younger kids associate taking medicine with being sick. Let your child know that ADHD is not an illness or sickness like the flu or chicken pox. Many people use the example of nearsightedness. People who have difficulties seeing far away don’t have a sickness, but glasses (like medication) can often make a big difference in making life a little easier.
- Let your child know that he or she has a wonderful, healthy, creative brain, but it works a little differently – not “less than”, just differently - than in someone without ADHD. In their book for children with ADHD, Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention, Drs. Kathleen Nadeau and Ellen Dixon describe kids with ADHD as having a “sleepy brain.” They write:
“That means that some parts of your brain – the parts that help you think before you act, that help you to sit still and pay attention (even when it is boring), the parts that help you remember and be organized – are a little ‘sleepy’ and don’t always work as well as you want them to.”
Share these words with your child and explain that medicine helps kids with ADHD because it helps to wake up or “stimulate” the parts of the brain that are sleepy so that they can pay attention, concentrate and remember things, better control their behavior and responses, and stay on track. Let your child know that the group of medicines most frequently used to treat ADHD is called “stimulant medication.” You may even want to read up on how stimulant medications work.
- Books are always a great tool for parents to use when talking about medication and ADHD. There are lots of books available written specifically for children. Click on Books for Kids About ADHD to check them out.
