Reply to Life for ADHD kids- does it get better

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "Life for ADHD kids- does it get better"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]In our family’s case it definitely got better. DD = ASD (fairly high functioning)/ADHD.  Oppositional. Impulsive. Poor regulation. Always an outsider and sometimes an outcast. Matured much, much more slowly than her peers — was years behind — so she was always overwhelmed, which then brought out her most difficult behaviors, which then compounded the negative feedback she received from the world. And so on and so on.

She’s now 17. And while she still seems younger than her peers in a lot of ways, it is nothing like the early years. We are able to talk really openly about her needs, and unique challenges, and we laugh about them a fair amount. It’s not perfect, but it is such a relief compared to what was. Can still be clueless and impulsive (got a tattoo recently from a classmate, oy), but her years of being an outsider have actually helped in some ways — she’s been much less susceptible to peer pressure around things like drinking. And as a rising senior, she is blissfully un-stressed by the college rat race. She’s visiting schools, thinking hard about her own needs, and unconcerned with prestige.

My advice (which may be worth nothing!): Notice the things they are doing right. Notice all the ways they are trying. Ask teachers and administrators to notice and reward these efforts, even imperfect as they might be.

Focus on your relationship. Talk openly. When you lose your cool, apologize and say what you wish you’d done. Have a sense of humor. You need a sense of humor. And don’t let anyone else’s voice make you doubt your kid. The worst decisions I ever made, the things I regret most, happened bc I was trying to prove to somebody else — another parent, an in law, a teacher, whoever — that I was doing the “right” thing.

Your kid is on their own journey. It might be a longer one than other kids. Let it be.

I wish you luck. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics