From the article: How to Talk About ADHD to Your Child
After your child was first diagnosed with ADHD, how did you talk about and explain ADHD to your son or daughter? How did you explain ADHD to the non-ADHD siblings?
Talking about ADHD is really an ongoing process. Please share what you did or continue to do that is most beneficial in helping your child understand more about his or her own ADHD? Is there anything you might have done differently? Your experiences and insight can be a big help to other parents who are in the earlier stages of learning about ADHD.
Share Your AdviceHow to Tell Your Child ... ADHD
- We waited 'til we felt our child could understand the explanation. What we said, "God made your brain so it works like this -----. It's not bad and you are not broken (in response to his questions). Your brain can do a lot of things that other people's can't. But, you sometimes have to work harder to ----- (retrieve information, make the right choice, control your impulses). Our child was happy to hear others have ADHD and that other kids feel the same way he does in his head. Our advice: Go with your gut, say what you think your child will understand. Praise him/her when you give the explanation. Make them feel special, not different.
- —AlwaysSharing
Racecar Brain
- I really like the explanation used by the authors of Superparenting for ADD. They tell children they have racecar brains with bad brakes. They really emphasize the positives of having a racecar brain, then talk about how they will help the child improve his or her steering and brakes. Additionally, there was a fantastic poem posted on this site about a year ago called “The Wonderfulness of Me” by Robert Tudisco. My ADHD daughter absolutely loved it. Both focus of the positive traits that come with the challenges of ADHD.
- —Guest Lynn
Reading Books
- Our son liked the book Learning To Slow Down and Pay Attention. We would read it to him since reading it himself could be frustrating. Using the book made it easier to explain ADHD and it approached the subject in a positive way.
- —Guest SandyBeaches
explaining it to my parents
- I'm fairly sure I have ADD, but the worst thing for me was explaining it to my mum, because she cried when I told her I thought I had it, and accused me of not trying hard enough and using it as an excuse. This was horrible for me, as I had feelings of utter rejection, and hated her unwillingness to help. I guess my point is, before you expect your child to come to terms with it, you should come to terms with it yourself.
- —Guest katy
She's part of the family
- We explained that we all have it. (husband and I both, my mom and dad, my 3 brothers and 1 of my sisters, his dad, and all of his cousins) He says it gallops through our family. We just explained we are different, we do things fast, fast sometimes leads to errors, words, missed numbers, bruises etc. But we are great at hyperfocusing and learning in depth on things that interest us, instant experts. In fact dad has PhD in cardiology, so things are possible, with medication and trying again and again, even if only 10 minutes at a time. That's how I made it through homework, 10 minutes here or there or in a class before a class, if I missed something in a current class oh well, I caught on quick and teachers can be boring and slow. I got a BS in biology with a 3.4 gpa, diagnosed junior year. We look for intentions in our house, rather than failures. Our house is seldom tidy, but we help each other. We take our meds and don't lie to each other. The not lying helps us understand each other.
- —Guest Steph
MY ADHD
- I was diagnosed late in life and prescribed a stimulant medicine. This medication was the magic bullet for me. All of a sudden I could focus. When I was a child in school ADHD wasn’t really known at all. Now, I’m not a doctor and I don’t know if what worked from me will work for everyone. Also at the higher dosage, the more calming and alignment of my thoughts. Thank you. P.S. I am 56 years old.
- —Guest GFRONZI
