- Pay attention to their sleep schedule – Sleeping well is important to your discipline plan. It might be difficult but once you’ve established a bedtime routine, your child will sleep well and have fewer issues with inattention during the day. Start with developing a calming ritual and eliminating stimulating foods from the hours before bedtime.
- Talk about their thinking habits – Children with ADHD may get lost in their thoughts and then act on them. This kind of behavior can come across as misbehaving especially when they’re not doing the task that they’ve been assigned. To curb this, encourage them to think out loud so you’ll know what they’re thinking about that. You should also talk about waiting a bit before acting on their thoughts. This advice leads to more mindfulness in your child.
What You Should Avoid
- Don’t give up – Learning to discipline a child with ADHD is no easy feat and there will be days when you’ll feel like giving up. Take some time yourself and then get back to it. The strategies only work with continued practice.
- Don’t lash out – Regardless of how you may feel, know that your child isn’t always misbehaving on purpose. Take the time to assess the situation and respond appropriately.
- Don’t be too rigid – Even though you’re setting rules for your child’s behavior, you’ll both benefit from some flexibility. If everything hasn’t been accomplished for the day, it might be better to make new plans than to get too stressed out about it.
- Don’t be bullied – Though you’re creating strategies based on your child’s disorder, it’s important not to give over control to your child. You can be a caring disciplinarian.
Bear in mind that this is only a guide and your strategies will need to be tailored to your specific needs. You will also need to modify the things you do as your child ages. It’s also essential to take advantage of any resources that are available to you. By doing that, you’ll get the professional aid you need.
