Supporting children with ADHD
Jessica Mitchell • September 23, 2021
ADHD assessments take a long time to access through the NHS. But whether you are waiting for an assessment or looking for tips to support a child diagnosed with ADHD, this blog post will give you some insights and tips on how to best support them.
What is ADHD?
ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurobehavioral difference. Common ADHD signs tend to include the individual:
- acting impulsively
- feeling restless
- having trouble concentrating
- unable to wait their turn in situations
- excessively moving around
- having no or little sense of danger
According to ADHD Action, 5% of children in the UK have ADHD with only a third having been given a professional diagnosis. ADHD tends to be diagnosed in children between the ages of 6 and 12, however, it is not uncommon to receive a diagnosis later in life.
What are the positives of having ADHD?
We work with several children and young people who have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Despite not being specialists in ADHD, we find one of the best ways that you can enhance a child or young person's confidence is to share with them the positives of the diagnosis.
Each person with ADHD has their own unique strengths which should be highlighted to them to build their resilience levels.
Here are just a few strengths that a child or young person with ADHD tends to have:
- Creative - children and young people with ADHD tend to be some of the most creative people that you will come across. They bring energy and innovative ideas to whatever they are working on and thrive in practical environments where they can explore their potential in a proactive and positive manner.
- Hyper-focussed - when working on a project that sparks their interests and strengths, children and young people with ADHD can channel all of their attention and energy into remaining focussed and productive for long periods of time.
- Excellent talkers - children and young people with ADHD tend to thrive in social situations and can talk and engage with others well. An ADHD mind is constantly racing, resulting in new topics of conversation arising.
- Generosity - those with ADHD have a strong drive to please and look after those that they care about and will look for ways to make people happy.
- Detailed-oriented - those with ADHD tend to spot patterns that others tend to miss, which can help them to gain an advantage. For example, if they are playing a game of football, they are highly likely to spot the other team's field tactics and be able to intercept them early to secure victory for their team.
- Quick starters - being impulsive is a common ADHD symptom and although this is usually perceived as a negative, in actual fact, it's not. Quick starters are adaptable, open minded and are not afraid to graft to get the project done to an excellent standard.
How to support a child with ADHD
First and foremost, make sure your child understands their ADHD strengths and weaknesses, this can help them to better cope under stressful situations and help build their resilience levels. We appreciate, however, that there are going to be some challenging days, however there are some mechanisms that you can put in place, to help your child to thrive:
- Plan Your Days – try to plan your day so your child knows what is happening. Having a set routine can enhance their quality of life. For example, getting ready to go to school. Break this down into steps such as wake up, have breakfast, brush hair and teeth, and so on.
- Set Some Clear Boundaries – all children must know what behaviours are expected from them. Make sure to be clear, praise where praise is due and enforce consequences when behavioural expectations aren’t met.
- Continue To Be Positive – being specific with your praise will convey clearly why you are pleased. For example, “Well done on tidying away all your toys. That’s brilliant.”
- Create and Give Instructions – if you do ask your child to do something try to give specific and brief instructions. Making instructions clear can help your child to get this correct the first time. For example, instead of “tidy your room”, try “please can you tidy away your homework, books and toys?”
- Encourage Exercise – make sure your child has regular physical exercise. This will help their quality of sleep, improve relaxation and help your child to use up their energy for the day.
- Be Sociable – regular interaction with friends is important, so invite other children around to play, get involved in out of school clubs or simply head over to the park. Ensure your child knows what is expected beforehand and offer praise for good behaviour.
We hope you have found this post useful, we're currently for more volunteer mentors who can support children and young people with an ADHD diagnosis. If you would like to join us as a volunteer mentor, then click here to find out more. Fully training is provided.
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What interested you about becoming an Island Volunteer Mentor? I was interested in volunteering and personal development to enhance my career prospects. I was at a stage where I was confused as to where I wanted to go next but I knew I was good with people, and I knew that my personality would suit working one to one with a young person. I knew that I could pass on good advice and life experience. How long did you mentor for The Island? I mentored for around 15 months. Every week for around 2 hours on a Thursday night. Sometimes we would miss a session due to various factors, but these sessions were caught up on. What did you enjoy most about the Mentoring? I enjoyed being able to experience many different activities with my young person and being able to see their confidence grow. I enjoyed catching up and hearing stories from the week and focusing my attention on that session. Different social settings allowed me to guide my young person and relay stories from my experience which I knew would be helpful. This was enjoyable as I knew I was passing on vital helpful advice for adulthood. Why do you think Mentoring is important for young people? I think in today's world with social media and the stresses on life can be overwhelming for everyone. For a young person to be guided by a mentor, they can step away from that world for a short while and express themselves or let off steam in an environment where they can be nurtured and not judged. With the guidance of a mentor, the young person can take the advice into everyday life which will hopefully help them in difficult and stressful situations. The young person can build up a relationship with the mentor and know that they have trust in them to be able to openly talk about their feelings away from a family, friend it school setting. Please let us know how you have found the support from the island and which aspects you have found the most valuable? I found the support very good and easy to access. I knew that if I needed any support or advice, I could email or call my supervisor. I found the group sessions with other mentors helpful as we could come together and talk about our experience and use any advice in future sessions. Hearing stories from other mentoring experiences was highly valued. Has the Island supported you with any future plans personally or professionally? If so, could you share this with us? The island has kept in touch with me regarding several career opportunities throughout the mentoring process that I have considered. I know that I could sit with the island and discuss any plans if I needed to. Most of all, they have helped my confidence and gave me a platform to express myself and follow my goals which has put me in good stead for next move in my career as a health trainer. The skills and experience I have gained from my mentoring will be transferred over to this next role. At the Island, we are constantly looking for people who have the ability to listen, and who feel that they can develop a positive rapport with children and young people in an honest, challenging and non-judgemental way. All prospective volunteer mentors receive training, support and supervision. This covers such areas as communication, child protection, equal opportunities and often, in the process mentors learn more about themselves, too. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities please click here www.theislandyork.org
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