Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Lifestyle and home remedies
Because ADHD is complex and each person with ADHD is different, it’s hard to make recommendations that work for every child. But some of the following suggestions may help create an environment in which your child can succeed.
Children at home
- Encourage your child. Children need to hear that they’re loved and appreciated. Focusing only on the negative parts of your child’s behavior can harm your relationship and affect self-confidence and self-esteem. If your child has a hard time accepting verbal signs of affection, a smile, a pat on the shoulder or a hug can show you care. Look for behaviors for which you can compliment your child.
- Find ways to improve self-esteem. Children with ADHD often do well with art projects, music or dance lessons, or martial arts classes. Choose activities based on their interests and abilities. All children have special talents and interests that can be encouraged. Small, frequent successes help build self-esteem.
- When giving directions, use simple words and show how something is done. Speak slowly and quietly and be very specific and concrete. Give one direction at a time. Stop and make eye contact with your child before and while you’re giving directions.
- Be flexible about difficult situations. Be aware of your child’s limits and adapt to meet the child’s needs when possible. Try to stay away from situations that are difficult for your child. Examples include sitting through long presentations or shopping in large stores where seeing so many people and products can be too much for your child.
- Use timeouts or the proper reaction when needed. Be clear about the behavior expected. Start with firm, loving discipline that rewards good behavior and discourages negative behavior. Timeouts should be relatively brief but long enough for your child to regain control. The idea is to interrupt and calm out-of-control behavior. Children also can be expected to accept the results of the choices they make.
- Work on being organized. Help your child organize and maintain a daily assignment and activities notebook or chart. Be sure your child has a quiet place to study. Group objects in the child’s room and store them in clearly marked spaces. Try to help your child keep spaces organized and free of clutter.
- Try to keep a regular schedule for meals, naps and bedtime. Children with ADHD have a hard time accepting and adjusting to change. Use a big calendar to mark everyday chores and special activities that are coming up. Don’t make sudden changes from one activity to another or at least warn your child if you need to do so.
- Encourage social contacts. Help your child learn social skills by modeling, recognizing and rewarding positive communications and interactions with family members and friends.
- Adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Make sure your child is rested. Try to keep your child from becoming too tired because tiredness often makes ADHD symptoms worse. It’s important that your child eat a balanced diet for healthy development. Along with medical treatment, regular exercise has health benefits and may have a positive effect on behavior.
Children in school
Learn all you can about ADHD and opportunities to help your child be successful. You are your child’s best support.
- Ask about school programs. Schools are required by law to have programs that give support to children who have a disability that interferes with learning. Your child may be eligible for extra services offered under federal laws: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
These extra services can include evaluation, changes in coursework, changes in classroom setup, changes in teaching methods, study skills instruction, use of computers, and more interaction between parents and teachers. These education services can be written in your child’s education plan, called an individualized education plan. Another name for this plan is IEP.
- Talk with your child’s teachers. Talk often with teachers. Support their efforts to help your child in the classroom. Make sure that teachers closely monitor your child’s work, give positive feedback, and are flexible and patient. Ask that they be very clear about their instructions and what they expect.
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine means using another approach instead of standard medical care. Complementary medicine means using alternative medicine along with standard medical care. This mix is sometimes called integrative medicine.
There’s little research that shows that alternative or complementary medicine can lessen ADHD symptoms. If you’re thinking about trying alternative medicine, talk with your child’s healthcare professional first to decide if the therapy is safe and effective. Some alternative medicine treatments that have been tried but are not yet fully proved scientifically include:
- Yoga or meditation. Regular yoga or meditation and relaxation techniques may help children relax and learn discipline. This may help them manage their symptoms of ADHD.
Special diets. Most diets promoted for ADHD involve not eating foods thought to worsen hyperactivity, such as sugar, and foods that are common allergens, such as wheat, milk and eggs. Some diets recommend staying away from artificial food colorings and additives. So far, studies haven’t found a consistent link between diet and fewer symptoms of ADHD.
Also, limiting foods may keep children from getting a healthy well-balanced diet. Some evidence based on individual reports or personal experience suggests diet changes might make a difference in children with specific food sensitivities. Using caffeine as a stimulant for children with ADHD can have risky effects and is not recommended.
- Vitamin or mineral supplements. While certain vitamins and minerals from foods are needed for good health, there’s no evidence that supplemental vitamins or minerals can lessen symptoms of ADHD. “Megadoses” of vitamins, which are doses far above the Recommended Dietary Allowance can be harmful.
- Herbal supplements. There is no evidence to suggest that herbal remedies help with ADHD, and some may be harmful.
- Proprietary formulations. These are products made from vitamins, micronutrients and other ingredients that are sold as possible treatment supplements for children with ADHD. These products have had little or no research and are not monitored by the FDA, making them possibly not effective or harmful.
- Essential fatty acids. These fats, which include omega-3 fatty acids, are needed for the brain to work properly. Researchers are still studying whether these may lessen ADHD symptoms.
- Neurofeedback training. This also is called electroencephalographic biofeedback. During these sessions, a child focuses on certain tasks while using a machine that shows brain wave patterns. Using the feedback on the monitor, the child learns to control brain activity to help manage focus and behavior. More research is needed to see if this works.
Coping and support
Caring for a child with ADHD can be challenging for the whole family. Caregivers may be distressed by their child’s behavior as well as by the way other people respond. The stress of dealing with ADHD can lead to conflict in a marriage or partnership. These problems can be made worse by the financial burden that ADHD can place on families.
Siblings of a child with ADHD also may have a hard time. They can be affected by a sibling who is demanding or aggressive. They also may get less attention because the child with ADHD requires so much of a parent’s time.
Resources
Many resources are available, such as social services and support groups. Support groups can offer helpful information about coping with ADHD. Ask your child’s healthcare professional about support groups in your area.
There also are excellent books and guides for both parents and teachers, as well as internet sites dealing with ADHD. Be careful with websites or other resources that give advice that’s risky or not proved or doesn’t match your healthcare team’s recommendations.
Strategies for coping
Many parents notice patterns in their child’s behavior and in their own responses to that behavior. Both you and your child may need to change behavior. But changing new habits for old ones takes a lot of hard work.
Be realistic in your expectations for improvement — both your own and your child’s. Also keep your child’s developmental stage in mind. Set small goals for both yourself and your child. Don’t try to make a lot of changes all at once.
- Stay calm and set a good example. Act the way you want your child to act. Try to stay patient and in control, even when your child is out of control. If you speak quietly and calmly, your child is more likely to calm down too. Learning stress management techniques can help you deal with your own frustrations.
- Take time to enjoy your child. Try to accept and appreciate the parts of your child’s personality that aren’t so hard to manage. One of the best ways to do this is simply to spend time together. Find a time without the distraction of other children or adults. Try to give your child more positive than negative attention every day.
- Strive for healthy family relationships. The relationship among all family members plays a big part in managing or changing the behavior of a child with ADHD. Couples with a strong bond often find it easier to face parenting challenges than those whose bond isn’t as strong. Take time to build and support your partner relationship and relationships with your other children.
- Give yourself a break. Give yourself a break now and then. Don’t feel guilty for spending a few hours apart from your child. You’ll be better able to cope if you’re rested and relaxed. Don’t hesitate to ask relatives and friends for help. Make sure that babysitters or other caregivers understand about ADHD and are mature enough for the task.
- Get help if you need it. If you feel too stressed, frustrated or depressed, talk with a mental health professional.
Preparing for your appointment
You’re likely to start by taking your child to a pediatrician or family healthcare professional. Depending on the results of the evaluation, your healthcare professional may refer you to a specialist, such as a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist or pediatric neurologist.
What you can do
To prepare for your child’s appointment:
- Make a list of any symptoms and troubles your child has at home or at school.
- Bring notes about important personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medicines, vitamins, herbs and other supplements that your child is taking, and the doses.
- Bring any past evaluations and results of formal testing if you have them, and school report cards.
- Make a list of questions to ask your child’s healthcare professional.
Questions to ask may include:
- Other than ADHD, what are possible causes for my child’s symptoms?
- What kinds of tests does my child need?
- What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
- What are options other than the main approach that you’re suggesting?
- My child has other health conditions. How can I best manage these conditions together?
- Should my child see a specialist?
- Is there a generic option for the medicine you’re prescribing for my child?
- What types of side effects can we expect from the medicine?
- Are there any printed materials that I can have? What websites do you suggest?
Feel free to ask other questions during your appointment.
What to expect from your doctor
Your healthcare professional may ask you questions, such as:
- When did you first notice your child’s behavior issues?
- Do the troubling behaviors occur all the time or only in some situations?
- How big of a challenge are your child’s behaviors at home and at school?
- What, if anything, appears to make your child’s behavior worse?
- What, if anything, seems to make your child’s behavior better?
- Does your child drink beverages with caffeine? How often?
- What are your child’s sleep hours and patterns?
- How well has your child done in school in the past and how is your child doing now?
- Does your child read at home? Does your child have trouble reading?
- What do you do when your child doesn’t behave well or doesn’t follow the rules at home? Which methods of discipline work the best?
- Describe who lives at home and a typical daily routine.
- Describe your child’s family and friend relationships at home and at school.
References
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