SO WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD?
If your adolescent is into playing online games, try introducing them to the “Fin, Fur, and Feather Bureau of Investigation”. This FREE set of internet games is made specifically to help children and adolescents with ADHD experiencing difficulties in “executive functioning”. Each game is designed to teach useful skills and strategies, while continually encouraging the players to complete increasingly difficult tasks.
To increase the interest, the FFFBI Academy uses a humorous spy theme and frequent reinforcements for successful game play. This super cool game is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. I thought this was all 2 good 2 be true, until I played one of these cool games myself. For more information follow this link: http://www.fffbi.com/
To increase the interest, the FFFBI Academy uses a humorous spy theme and frequent reinforcements for successful game play. This super cool game is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. I thought this was all 2 good 2 be true, until I played one of these cool games myself. For more information follow this link: http://www.fffbi.com/
Playing a family game of Clue (by Milton Bradley) with your teenager can help improve cognition deficits. i know this sounds simple, but just listen to all of the benefits. Clue is a crime solving game in which people have to evaluate clues to determine who committed a crime, and which weapon was used. It works by process of elimination, so it will force your teenager to process information that they have, and identify information that they don't have. That's a real challenge for teenagers with ADHD, and it enhances some critical skills. Your teenager will need to use information to solve problems, rather than acting on impulse. This will also help your child not to act on their feelings before thinking about the consequences. While playing the game of Clue, teenagers will learn quickly that impulsive actions usually are counterproductive. Another objective of this game is to organize and prioritize. Clue provides players with cards that help them eliminate items from a list, so it promotes and teaches this basic kind of thinking for your teenager to use in everyday life. If your teenager thinks that Clue is a “baby game”, tell them to think again! Clue is now available as a board game, an interactive video game, or can be downloaded and played on the IPod, IPad, or IPhone.
For more information and prices follow this link: http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/clue/
For more information and prices follow this link: http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/clue/
Everyone knows that exercise makes a person feel better. As soon as your teenager realizes they can regulate their mood and emotion by exercise, they will be empowered and feel much more in control of their body. When your teenager feels more in control of their emotions, their self confidence will be boosted. A weekly walk in the park with your teenager can help your child mentally and also promote healthy family relationships. If your teenager is physically hyperactive, encouraging them to find a team sport that they are interested in may also be a great idea. Sports provide quality exercise while performing tasks that can help to increase your teenagers’ concentration and focus. Assist them to explore the school and community sports that they feel would be the most rewarding and interesting to them.
By investigating the different sports options with your teenager, you are encouraging their independence, increasing their sense of identity, and allowing them to practice decision making skills. Participating in sports will allow a healthy outlet for their energy, while helping your teenager to learn the value of social interaction skills, paying attention, teamwork, and perseverance. (Solomon, J. 2011). For more information on the effect of exercise and your teenager, follow this link : http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/1443/110369/exercise-symptoms?ic=1110
By investigating the different sports options with your teenager, you are encouraging their independence, increasing their sense of identity, and allowing them to practice decision making skills. Participating in sports will allow a healthy outlet for their energy, while helping your teenager to learn the value of social interaction skills, paying attention, teamwork, and perseverance. (Solomon, J. 2011). For more information on the effect of exercise and your teenager, follow this link : http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/1443/110369/exercise-symptoms?ic=1110
Goals are something your teenager should strive to set and achieve. By setting goals your teenager will be able to accomplish important things in their life, which will increase their self worth and confidence. Goal setting will give your teen something to work for and something to look forward to while keeping them on the right track.
Goals set by your teenager should be specific and achievable in a short period of time. Assisting your teenager in goal setting is easier than it seems. By making a chart with your teenager of what they want to do, (and what steps they need to take to do it) may
be all the help they need. It can be lists, pyramids, blocks, color coded- whatever format works best and grabs your teenagers’ interest. All individuals with ADHD often need help prioritizing, initiating, analyzing, and organizing their thoughts. By writing goals down with your teenager it will make them easier to achieve once they can be visualized. Reward your child with praise each time they complete a step to meet their goals. Provide encouragement every day to help them stay focused and committed. Review the goals with your teenager once a week, to make sure that they are still on the right track. (Solomon, J. 2011).
Goals set by your teenager should be specific and achievable in a short period of time. Assisting your teenager in goal setting is easier than it seems. By making a chart with your teenager of what they want to do, (and what steps they need to take to do it) may
be all the help they need. It can be lists, pyramids, blocks, color coded- whatever format works best and grabs your teenagers’ interest. All individuals with ADHD often need help prioritizing, initiating, analyzing, and organizing their thoughts. By writing goals down with your teenager it will make them easier to achieve once they can be visualized. Reward your child with praise each time they complete a step to meet their goals. Provide encouragement every day to help them stay focused and committed. Review the goals with your teenager once a week, to make sure that they are still on the right track. (Solomon, J. 2011).
To help increase your teenagers’ social interaction skills, help them make friends, and boost their self confidence, talk to them about volunteering opportunities in your community. To make this experience extra meaningful for your teenager offer to volunteer with them, or even make it a family affair! While it might be a challenge to coordinate your households’ schedules, volunteering as a family has many worthwhile benefits. By giving back to the community, you will be a positive role model by showing your child how volunteering makes a difference. They will experience how good it feels to help others and to enact change in their own community, and will be promoting feelings of self worth.
By expanding your families social network you will be opening doors toward new resources and activities for your teenager to participate and enjoy in the future. By enabling your teenager to experience the benefits of volunteering, they will be much more likely to continue this positive behavior when they reach adulthood.(Santrock, J. 2012).
For more information about the many benefits of volunteer work follow this link: http://www.helpguide.org/life/volunteer_opportunities_benefits_volunteering.htm
If your teenager shows an interest in art, music, building models or crafts, help them to explore their creative abilities. Intense concentration and focus involved in art and music creativity can teach your child the ability to accomplish tasks and set longer term goals to achieve while doing something they enjoy! It is important as a parent of a teenager with ADHD to focus on their assets and praise strengths to increase self esteem. Building models or making crafts will help your teenager to learn how to turn their visions into a reality. Personal expression is a healthy way for teenagers with ADHD to release intense emotions that sometimes manifest themselves in the symptoms of ADHD (hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention). Encouraging a teenager to use a form of expressive art will teach them perseverance and dedication as they continue to develop and improve new skills. Keeping track of music, art, craft, and building supplies while maintaining a clean work area will help your teenager practice the task of organization. (Solomon, J. 2011).
Playing a game of “Treasure Hunt” with your teenager will help them with executive functioning skill deficits. To play, create five “clues” to search for a "treasure". Your clues should be challenging enough for your teenage child, without being so complicated that they cause frustration. For example a clue could be “if I am dirty clothes, this is where I would go”. Write each clue down and place in a sealed envelope with a number on it. Each clue should lead to the spot where the next clue is hidden. This game can be used to encourage any specific behavior you want to see from your teen. For example the behavior of: "completion of homework every night before a certain time".
Each night your adolescent completes their homework, they will receive a clue. At the end of the week, they will have earned the chance to have all five clues to go on a "Treasure Hunt." On Friday evening, have your teenager sequence all the clues, with the last one leading to a reward or prize (money works really good).This game specifically encourages your teenagers skills including initiation, motivation, working memory, and organization.
Your teenagers’ behavior issues need to be dealt with appropriately to really help them succeed now, and in the future. Good communication and consistency with what you say and do with your teenager is very important. The goal of parenting is to increase positive behaviors, while decreasing the negative behaviors. To increase positive behaviors rewards seem to work the best. Acknowledgment of the good things your child does with praise, hugs and verbal approval will make your teenager more likely to repeat the behavior. Privileges such as extra time on the computer, staying up later, having a special dessert, or renting a movie will also encourage your teenager to keep engaging in “good” behaviors.
Paying them an allowance if they perform household chores will help them to see the benefit of working for things they want, now and in the future.
To decrease negative behaviors, sometimes just ignoring the situation will work. Revoking of privileges, punishments that fit the crime and explaining why you disapprove of the “bad” behaviors should help to decrease negative behaviors. (Solomon, J. 2011).
Personally I feel all families should communicate more, and as much as possible. One way to do this is to create a "Families Feelings Chart". Before dinner everyday have each person in the family select a feelings icon, and stick them somewhere you can all see in the evening. When eating dinner (or whenever it is that your family has time to talk), have each member of the family express why thay feel that way. It is a fun and easy way to keep the communication lines open in an often busy household. By doing this you will be increasing your teenagers social interaction skills while strengthening your whole families' network. Feelings icons can be found and printed from many sites online, I found this sample on Google Images.
Because adolescence is the transitional period before adulthood, it is important for your teenager to be involved with career exploration. By helping your teenager work through career decision making, they will have a better chance at a post-school outcome. Some adolescents have no idea what a career entails, how much education it would take to enter the career, or what the entry level salary range is. If your teenager seems undecided to what career path may be the best for them, why not start a “Job Search Project”? Have your teenager come up with a few different careers they are interested in, and help them to explore!
(Even if your teenager wants a job that seems to be a little out of reach, let them find out all they can about it.)
Help your teenager to investigate the following topics for each career:
Job description, basic working conditions, typical work attire, entry level salaries, typical work environments, and amount of education after high school that will be needed. By finding out all of this information your adolescent will be empowering themselves by practicing decision making and using their judgment. After they have narrowed down choices, help them to set up an opportunity to “job shadow” or interview a professional working in the selected career. By assisting your teenager to decide on a well thought out career path, you will be showing your support while enabling them to be on the road to a happy and fulfilling adult life.
