Taking care of a child with ADHD is a 24-hour challenge. From getting your child out of bed in the morning to making sure he sleeps at night, it feels like you’re engaged in a tug-of-war all day long. While there are certainly many resources that can help parents cope with ADHD behavioral problems, it seems that the more they read, the more confused they become as to how to discipline their child. The key to ADHD parenting is to realize that your child’s brain is wired differently from his peers. One-size-fit-all parenting approaches won’t always work with your child, but here are five secrets that do.

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Is it possible to be diagnosed with ADHD even if your child only has a few of the symptoms?

This is a question that many worried parents ask about their hyperactive or inattentive children.  The first thing you need to know about ADHD is that it is a very individual experience; some kids may have a lot of symptoms while some will only have a few.  No two children will have the exact same symptoms or problems.  The diagnosis, however, should depend on much more than just the quantity of the symptoms.

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When counseling parents of children with ADHD, one of the most common questions I receive is whether or not their child is ready for a sleepover.  Parents are only happy to help their kids build friendships, especially when their child has had difficulties doing so in the past. At the same time, they worry that their child’s ADHD symptoms might be too much for the host to handle, that they might cause trouble, or that their child might feel homesick.  While these instances are certainly plausible, your child can enjoy a fun sleepover at a friend’s or relative’s house with a few preparations. Before saying yes to the slumber party, consider these issues first.

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The brain’s growth is mostly complete by adolescence, but a lot of its vital connections are still being made during the teen years. Next to infancy, adolescence is a period that requires a nutritious diet for healthy brain growth, especially if this brain has ADHD. Diets of the average teenager, however, tend to be sorely deficient in important nutrients and fatty acids.  Teens either eat foods with high levels of hydrogenated fats and saturated fats, or they restrict their food intake in order to stay trim. Here are some ADHD diet tips to help your teenager develop healthy eating habits.

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Stimulant medication may be the most widely-used treatment for ADHD, but more and more parents are looking into natural ADHD treatments after learning about the debilitating side effects of these drugs.  Still, the transition from ADHD medications to natural treatments isn’t always easy. A lot of lifestyle adjustments have to be made, and it takes weeks for any positive changes to appear.   For this reason, parents prefer the quick fix of medication over drug-free treatments, especially if the symptoms are severe. But if there was a way to beat your child’s symptoms without medication and its side effects, wouldn’t you take it?  Here are the most popular ways to beat ADHD without medication.

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Children with ADHD are by no means easy to deal with, even when they’re already taking ADHD treatments that will help them focus or keep them calm. When the treatments don’t quite deliver the results they promise, families and teachers get frustrated and feel at a loss as to what to do next. Let’s examine five reasons that explain why ADHD treatments sometimes fail.

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Going back to school might be hard for ADHD children, but it’s even harder for the parents – after all, mom and dad are the ones who have to make all the necessary arrangements for their little ones. Not only do they have to deal with enrolment procedures and taking the kids to school, they also have to manage the inevitable temper tantrums of a child who simply just doesn’t want to go yet.

The back-to-routine blues can be so overwhelming, it’s easy to forget a few important steps needed to ensure a smooth transition from the bliss of a long break to happy days with teachers and friends at school. For parents who have trouble keeping track of everything, here are three of the most important tips in getting ADHD kids back to school:

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Numerous studies over the past 3 decades have identified ADHD children as being more accident-prone than kids without the condition. The findings suggest that ADHD kids tend to be able to identify risky situations, but have an impaired ability to estimate just how much damage is possible, and have trouble identifying ways to prevent the accident.

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Reading is an important part of a child’s development, both intellectually and emotionally. This is especially important for ADHD children, who tend to lack the focus and interest needed for a quiet sit-down activity. Getting an ADHD kid interested in reading will not only open countless doors to success, but some experts believe that avid reading helps improve ADHD.

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Video games have long been thought to worsen ADHD, but current research seems to be turning the tables on popular opinion. L. Eugene Arnold, M.D. of Ohio State University is working to develop a video game system that improves ADHD through neurofeedback.

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