Tips for managing your child's ADHD

We know that one size does not fit all, all the time. [MUSIC PLAYING]

What additional tips do you have for kids and parents alike when it really comes to things that really require focus or stillness? What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?

One of the biggest points that I try to get across to parents is when you're helping your child

to teach the way they learn, not the way you learn. I know a lot of parents get frustrated with, like, helping with homework.

I was one of those parents as well. My son used to do cartwheels for math problems because he needed to move, and it took forever.

You know, but we have to really think outside the box with how we're teaching our children. You don't have to always sit still.

In a classroom setting, of course, that is a little bit more difficult, and that time for movement has to be more planned out.

When my son was in middle school, one of the things that he was responsible for was helping take the shredding-- collecting

the shredding from every classroom, so he had the shredding bin. And so it's things like that where they don't stand out too much, but they're still able to incorporate that movement

throughout their day. You know, I think elementary school teachers are often really good at this, right? So if some kids need to move around and get more exercise

out before they sit down, they'll have the entire class exercise and have wiggle time before they all sit down on the carpet.

When you get to the older grades, then it's not necessarily as appropriate to have everyone take a wiggle break, right? So that's when I think the kids can

feel a little more different. And I'll give them tools. I'll say, listen, you know you need to do jumping jacks during your five-minute passing period.

You know you need to stop and get a drink. You need to ask your teacher to sit in the front of the classroom because if you sit in the back your mind is going to wander.

And so it's sort of figuring out the tools that each child needs so they can be successful. I completely agree with everything

that Dr. Altmann said. You want to empower them. So if that's an energetic child, let them be the person at the front of the line, the line leader.

You know, and if it's time for them to take their medications, you might not want to say that in front of everybody else because there's going to be that shame attached to it.

So I see that kids want to be a lot like their peers. They don't want to stand out and have that shame attached. So I think teachers, and parents, and even the doctors,

like, everybody has a-- plays a role in helping the child with self-esteem. [MUSIC PLAYING]