Today I’m going to be sharing 10 tips for the parents of a newly diagnosed ADHD child. For this blog post, I got together with a group of parents of ADHD children. We all discussed what some of our best tips are for parents of a newly diagnosed child. And today, I’m so excited to share them with you.
Patience
When your child is at their worst – you need to be at your best!
Don’t Listen to Other People
You know, like Debbie down the street who’s daughter has already has every ballet award by the age of 5. Every child is different – with or without a diagnosis. Never compare two different people.
It’s OK to Cry
It can be happy tears, sad tears, angry tears. Just don’t hold it all in. If you need to cry, let it all out. Find someone who you can lean on and open up to. And it’s ok to cry after the diagnosis too. This is something you’ve never planned for. It’s ok.
Take Care of Yourself
Take a breath. Sign up for respite and allow your family and friends to help if/when they can. You can not pour from an empty cup. Do not get mom/dad guilt if you have a night away – you need it! Heck, you deserve it!
Find Your Support Group
Locally to us, we have some FANTASTIC support groups for ADHD, Autism etc. These are your people. You’ll probably be able to find them on social media, or reach out into the community to see if anyone can recommend anywhere. You’ll be amazed how helpful and supportive they can be. Usually they put on special events too.
Prepare to learn.
There’s always a new book, training course or podcast to listen to. Learn as much as you can – or as much as you want. You don’t know what you don’t know. But once you know it – there’s that added bit of information stored in your mind for the future. The more you know, the better a parent and support system you’ll be for your child.
Be consistent.
Good cop, bad cop doesn’t always work as well as you’d think. If mom says no – dad needs to say no too, and vice versa. Consistency is the key. If you’re both saying different things, that’s when it gets confusing. Your child won’t understand what the rules/boundaries are. Be consistent from the start.
Trust your instincts.
You may not know everything about ADHD – but you know your child. You’ve raised them. You’ve been there through everything. You KNOW them. If you think something is wrong or you have a gut feeling about something – you go with it!
Be prepared.
A lot of parents think that once they have the diagnosis, things will get easier. But, you will probably still have to fight for a lot of things and be your child’s advocate. Surround yourself with support systems who can help you. Arm yourself with information.
Pick. Your. Battles.
This one, is one that I sat to probably every parent or caregiver that I come into contact with. Pick. Your. Battles. You won’t win them all. You’ll lose some. But are some even worth the hassle that they can cause? Sure, some you have to fight those battles. You need them to understand and learn right from wrong. But if your child hates laces – are you going to fight with them everyday over it? Or do you just buy slip on or velcro shoes? Your child is wearing shoes. It doesn’t matter what type of shoes – so long as they have something on their feet. Pick your battles my friend. Or you’ll be exhausted within an hour of starting your day.
What is a tip that you would give to the parents of a newly diagnosed ADHD child? If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends on social media.
If you’re looking for a support system, check out our facebook group for the Teaching Autism and Special Education Community. You may also like to read our blog post about ODD – Oppositional Defiant Disorder – by clicking here.
Nikki
