The first day of school is just a few weeks’ away and like many parents, you’re probably looking for ways to help your ADHD child excel academically (or at the very least, meet the passing grade).  One of the biggest challenges parents face is keeping their kids attentive and focused long enough to get their homework done.  The average child often puts up a real struggle when it comes to schoolwork, but the symptoms of ADHD magnify the homework wars tenfold. Not only do they have problems with self-control, but their forgetful tendencies may keep them from taking note of the assignment and bringing home the things they need. Fortunately, researchers just developed a system that can reduce homework problems by half. At least, that’s what a new study just discovered.

Researchers from Monmouth University in New Jersey were able to address the homework issues ADHD kids face with a new system.  This was tested on 39 children between the ages 6 – 10, with the help of their teachers. All children were boys, had ADHD combined type, and had problems getting homework done.  They were then randomly assigned to a treatment group that implemented the homework system, and a comparison group with no interventions.

Those in the treatment group kept a homework notebook where they had to write all their assignments. They had to show this to their teacher before going home each day. As soon as they got home, they were allowed an hour of rest before settling down to accomplish the homework in a quiet place. The boys were not allowed to play video games or watch TV until they were done with the day’s work. As a consequence for forgetting to bring home the homework notebook or forgetting to bring the day’s assignments, the boys could not use the computer or watch TV for a day. In two to three weeks, the researchers evaluated the groups and noticed a dramatic improvement in the treatment group.  The boys who followed the system experienced at least a 50% reduction in homework problems, compared to the control group.

The homework system sounds easy enough to implement, especially if you can get your child’s teacher to cooperate with you.  Even if the teacher does not help, you can still use the homework system by implementing a study time and keeping your child away from distractions until everything is done. Perhaps the toughest challenge is making sure that parents follow through with the consequences.  But if you already have a good behavior management program in place, then you should not have a problem enforcing rules and motivating your child to get homework done on a daily basis.

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Last year, researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory discovered that ADHD symptoms are partially caused by a problem in the brain’s reward pathway. Specifically, children with ADHD lack a protein in their brain, which causes a dysfunction in the way a person experiences reward and motivation. For instance, the prestige of getting good grades is not enough to motivate ADHD kids to do well in school; teachers need to provide extra engagement to get children interested in their lessons. These findings can probably explain why short attention spans and lack of focus are key behaviors of kids suffering from this disorder.

This discovery also helps explain how ADHD stimulant drugs work. These medications increase the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is associated with the brain’s reward and pleasure systems. However, stimulant medications are inadequate long-term solutions that often come with harmful side effects. Can the brain’s reward pathway deficits be corrected without drugs?

Researchers from the University of Nottingham recently came up with an answer to this question – it turns out that behavioral rewards work just as well as medication in managing ADHD symptoms. In their Motivation, Inhibition, and Development in ADHD Study (MIDAS), 28 children with ADHD and 28 children without were asked to play a simple computer game. The game involves “catching” green aliens, which appear at random. At the same time, the child needs to avoid catching black aliens, which appear less frequently. For each green alien caught, the child would get a point. For every black alien caught or green alien missed, the child would lose a point.

To measure incentives, the rewards for avoiding black aliens were increased to five points. There was also a five point penalty imposed for catching the wrong alien.
Throughout the game, each child’s EEG waves were measured to keep track of brain activity. In the analysis, researchers looked at the markers of brain activity related to attention and impulsivity and observed how these were affected by motivational incentives and medication.

The researchers discovered that when the children took their usual dose of ADHD medications, they performed significantly better than when they did not take any drugs. It was also noted that the increased incentives normalized their brain activity. The EEG scans showed reduced impulsivity and improved attention once the points were increased.

Although experts are doing more research before applying these findings to the classroom or everyday clinical practice, many parents already use incentives and rewards to manage tantrums and other problematic behavior. Simple behavior management techniques can do much to reduce the impact of ADHD symptoms at school and at home. Together with a comprehensive treatment program, using rewards and incentives can increase the chances of long-term recovery from ADHD.

Most parents are at a loss as to how to discipline their ADHD child. Your warnings go unheeded, the house rules are ignored, and threats seem to make no difference to their behavior. Managing the behavior of kids with ADHD definitely has its challenges, especially since traditional parenting skills do not usually work on them. But with a little help from experts on ADHD, you might become more effective at helping your child overcome ADHD while keeping their behavior in check. Below are five books that offer handy hints on parenting kids with ADHD.

Parenting Children with ADHD: Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach

This book offers easily digestible information on how nutrition and certain therapies can improve the concentration, attention span, and behavior control of kids with ADHD. Although the book sometimes advocates the use of medication to treat ADHD, it also offers practical advice on behavior management. The author provides a well-rounded approach to teaching essential life skills, improving school success, and building compassion for others. There are also questionnaires, checklists, and homework at the end of every chapter for easy application.

From Chaos to Calm: Effective Parenting for Challenging Children with ADHD and other Behavior Problems

This book was written from three points of view – a parent, a therapist, and a child – to provide readers with the most helpful guide on raising an ADHD child. If you want to learn how to be a pro-active parent who provides consistent and constructive discipline, this book is for you. The ideas presented in the book can be applied to very young kids up to teenagers.

The ADHD Parenting Handbook: Practical Advice for Parents from Parents

Written from the point of view of parents, this book provides guidelines, advice, and suggestions to help parents interact and help their children. While the early chapters deals with general information on ADHD, the bulk of the book focuses on managing and preventing bad behavior, providing a healthy and stable environment for the child, and working with teachers to overcome learning problems. Counselors, teachers, and pediatricians have also contributed helpful recommendations and parenting tips.

School Success for Kids with ADHD

Who doesn’t want their children to make the most out of their education? Children with ADHD are very bright and clever, but the traditional school system is incapable of honing these skills. This book discusses ADHD in the context of how the symptoms appear in school and strategies you can use to help your child overcome the setbacks of inattention and turn them into strengths. The advice included can be applied to kids as young as the middle school years up until college and beyond.

How To Reach And Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions

This easy-to-read book is a user-friendly guide for teachers and parents who want to help ADHD kids succeed in school and life. There are research-based tips on how to manage ADHD in different academic areas like writing, reading, and math, as well as detailed advice on teaching your child impulse control and study skills.

Family vacations are a great opportunity to bond with the children, and with winter break fast approaching you’re probably deciding where to go. But some vacation destinations might not be suitable for kids with ADHD. Long lines at theme park rides and restaurants, rainy days spent in a hotel room, hours in an airplane seat, noise, crowds – these are difficult for anyone, but especially if you’re traveling with someone who has ADHD. Kids with ADHD are very distractible, restless, impatient, and sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds. Although you might have gotten used to helping your child manage these symptoms at home, handling them in a strange new place is a different story. Vacations mean change and if you already had a routine set up for your child, the lack of structure during the trip might make the symptoms return full force.

While there’s no guarantee of a smooth-sailing vacation, planning ahead is one of two keys to having a great time. The other key is to know what your children want – are they more comfortable with quiet surroundings or the bustle of a big city? Do they prefer the ocean or do they flourish in the fresh mountain air?

Choosing a vacation destination

Some kids thrive in a more natural environment. Open fields or a body of water to swim in are a great outlet for pent-up energy. Another reason why trees and fields make good ADHD medicine is that they provide fewer distractions than the bright lights and noise of a city. The tranquility of the great outdoors also relaxes and revitalizes crucial parts of the brain that handle concentration and attention.

However, not all children enjoy the woods. If your child is sensitive to heat, bug bites, and has low stamina, going camping or hiking might not be the best idea.

Wherever you decide to go or whatever you choose to do, just make sure the destination has something that interests your child. Kids with ADHD are bound to enjoy the vacation if they have a hand in planning, and will be more patient and tolerant about getting there.

Tips on traveling with ADHD children

Once you’ve decided where you want to go, try to keep these guidelines in mind so your child’s ADHD symptoms stay under control.

Stay consistent with diets

Vacations may seem like the perfect opportunity to indulge in a sweet treat or two, but the only way to keep symptoms at bay is for your child to stick with his or her diet. You probably noticed that your child is more hyperactive or irritable without the diet, and you certainly don’t want this to happen during the vacation. If your child is intolerant to gluten and casein, stay away from quaint stores that offer baked goods. If your child is on the Feingold diet, keep avoiding foods with artificial additives.

Bring ADHD-friendly snacks

Hungry children tend to be cranky and whiny, but even more so when they have ADHD. Chances are, the restaurants you’ll encounter on the road won’t have many ADHD-friendly foods. For healthy on-the-road snacks, bring a bag of walnuts or dried fruit instead of chips. Don’t forget to pack bottles of water or natural fruit juice in the car with you too.

Familiarize your children

Kids with ADHD may have some fears or anxieties about going to a strange new place. Get them excited about the trip by talking about your destination, how you’ll be getting there, and showing them photos of the vacation spot. If your child feels anxious about riding a plane for the first time, take a drive to the airport. Watch the planes take off and land to show your child how perfectly safe they are.

Maintain the structure

Children with ADHD need predictability and may be stressed or anxious by an overly-spontaneous trip. Stick to regular mealtimes and bedtimes as much as possible; ADHD symptoms won’t improve if they get too little sleep or forget to eat. You don’t have to keep a timetable of each day, but let your child know what activities to expect.