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The key to ADHD treatment is not ADHD medication - it is simply parenting skills and parenting tips for ADHD is a hot topic right now. Parents want to know how to control their kids, deal with screaming and kicking, temper tantrums and failure to complete homework.

All the kids you read about in the blogs who are out of control and aggressive are sometimes just reacting to their ADHD meds. Aggression is one of the behaviours associated with these psychostimulant drugs, as indeed with marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and other substances. When the parents are interviewed the ONE thing that comes out is their failure to set limits. This is very often the result of guilt or fear or indulgence on their part. Being over strict or over indulgent is going to have an enormous influence on the way your child behaves. The ability to set limits which are realistic is one of best parenting tips for ADHD that you can apply.

Here are some five more parenting tips ADHD:

1. How the family functions is KEY. Very often, the rules are unclear or applied unfairly. Sometimes, the father may apply the rules in a different way from the mother and confusion and misbehaviour are the result.

2. Time limits and setting the routine. The child knows what happens and when it happens. Routine is important to the ADHD child so there is a time limit for watching TV, computer and video games and so on. Letting children know when things are due to finish helps them in their time management skills, rather than finishing each activity brusquely.

3. Getting ready for bed has to follow a set routine as well . Proper preparation and calming down activities are a great help here. This also helps with sleep problems.

4. Make sure that you are communicating with your child and praising him or her when tasks, such as homework are finished. Help them to break jobs and chores into little pieces remembering that their attention span is rather short. This is especially helpful for homework.

5. Children and the whole family are aware of the rewards and withdrawal of benefits if jobs and tasks are not completed or done. A points or star system to win a special prize or treat which are put on post-its on the fridge door is a good idea.

I know one mother of an ADHD child who became a Taekwondo champion and that was because she refused to have him put on medication. Organising outdoor and physical activities together with your kids is very important too as it increases bonding. While parenting tips for ADHD are useful, there is still the question of what type of medication to give your child. You are probably scared to death about the side effects of the

ADHD drugs and wonder if there is a safer, natural treatment for ADHD. Parenting tips ADHD are just one part of the mosaic- the others are mentioned below and should make your life a lot easier and more serene.



By: Robert William Locke

About the Author:

Most parents with ADHD children will make sure that routines and schedules are kept to, tasks are broken down and there is some sort of behaviour contract in force in the home. It helps if there is a similar sort of contract with the child's teacher at school. These are parenting tips for ADHD which are now well established.

The homework battle is one area where parenting skills will definitely be put to the test. ADHD kids just cannot really cope with the long attention spans needed for homework and together with hyperactivity, distractability and impulsiveness makes it all very difficult.This advice is aimed at ADHD teenagers although some of the principles apply equally well to younger children. Often homework is overlooked in parenting tips for ADHD.

Analyze first the location of the homework zone that your teenager has chosen.

Is it a secluded area ? Is it bright and quiet ? There should be no distractions from any electronic media if they are present. They should all be switched off but if he wants to, he can listen to some music with his headphones, provided it helps him to study.

ADHD teenagers need to make sure that they actually write down the assignments they are to do when the teacher writes them on the board. There should be a back up plan whereby he has telephone numbers of classmates with whom he can check if he has not done this.

A good idea to make sure that he has everything he might need to do the homework is to set the alarm on his cellphone so that it rings at the end of the school day and reminds him to collect all the necessary material.

You come to an agreement not to hassle your teenager about seeing the assignments on his planner sheet continuously and the teenager agrees to let you see it without any fuss.

There is an agreement that homework has to be done within a certain timetable and that when and if the teenager has finished, he can do what he likes but has to agree to let the parent see the completed homework. The parents agrees not to hassle about the starting time and the teenager promises not to start with an attitude. Drawing up a contract like this works very well for behaviour issues and is often mentioned in parenting tips for ADHD.

These are just some of the points that you can agree with your teenager about the homework peace plan ! You can go on to elaborate incentives, rewards, interruptions, breaks and other things. Usually the teenager will enjoy drawing this up as he sees that the parent has duties and responsibilities too and will not be a pain in the neck. This is just the start of a plan or contract and the same technique can be used for behaviour problems as well. These techniques can be learnt by following any ADHD behavioural therapy program and will form an essential element in parenting tips for ADHD.



By: Robert William Locke

About the Author: