ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

Teenagers have a tough time as it is but then when you add in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), things become really, complicated. For both parents and teachers, working with ADHD teens can be a challenge but it is not impossible. For the young teen trying to take charge of life and having to deal with ADHD, it can seem overwhelming, an impossible task. If you have a teenager with ADHD, it is crucial that you seek professional help for him and her while providing support and unconditional love. The bottom line is that working with ADHD teens is tough but you have creative solutions that work, not just through the teenage years but also into adulthood.

The goal in working with ADHD teens is to help them develop new strategies for dealing with growth issues in the areas of personal, academic, and social. By communicating well with the teen and providing understanding, you can teach him or her good decision-making skills that are imperative for handling life’s situations. Typically, a teenager with ADHD will not show the same huge behavioral swings as what you would see in younger children but the challenge is real just the same.

Therefore, when working with ADHD teens, you need to realize they will display trouble with homework and school, which is frustrating not only for them but for you and the teachers. However, by getting all of the adults together on the solution, you will find that working with ADHD teens becomes much easier. For instance, start by asking the teenager specific things that he or she feels will help in completing homework while keeping peace around the home. Next, you need to assign some type of point value to each task along with the amount of study time required to earn the point.

For your next step in working with ADHD teens is to work with your child on creating a chart to use for keeping track of all the points per task on a daily basis. To help keep your teenager motivated and encouraged, you want to create some type of reward system so that each time a task is completed correctly and on time, they have something special of which to look forward. Rewards might be a trip to a skateboard park, your daughter getting her nails done, a new outfit, or a special dinner out.

Another great way for working with ADHD teens is by changing your response to wrong or hurtful behaviors. This might require you create three levels of rules, which would include Level One, being honesty between the child and you, the parent, never hurting anyone intentionally, not acting in a harmful way toward other people, and not destroying anything not theirs. For Level Two, the rules would include the child letting the parent know of his or her whereabouts, doing homework right and on time, showing respect, and disagreeing without yelling. Finally, Level Three would require the child to keep his or her desk organized, following schedules, setting time aside every night to study, being prepared for the following day, not disrupting in class, and never teasing other students. Once the rules are established, your teen would earn privileges and rewards based on how well he or she does. Yes, working with ADHD teens can be hard but with consistency, things will take a turn for the better.
 

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