Attention Deficit Disorder A to Z

ADD A to Z:
Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Consequences for Bad Behavior in ADHD Children

By Dawn M. Olsen
 

As a parent, you know that children all have their moments, times when they misbehave, show aggressive behavior, do not complete a task, and so on. However, if you have a child with ADHD, then you understand all too well that these behaviors among others are exaggerated, making being a parent tough. If you find yourself in this situation, then it is important to understand the child consequences for bad behavior in ADHD children. That does not mean going around hitting your child but learning tools to cope, tools that will help you as a parent and teach your child what is and is not acceptable behavior.

First, it is important to understand the way in which ADHD behaviors affect your child. We will start with hyperactivity, which is the main element of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). With hyperactivity, your child will fidget, talk excessively, run about the house, climb on furniture, throw things, and find it hard to play as a normal child would. The problem is that hyperactivity in ADHD children can go too far, often leading to injury to another child or pet, or property damage. The child consequences for bad behavior in ADHD children means making it clear to the child specific rules will be followed and if those rules are not followed quick punishment. Remember, a child with ADHD needs routine and consistency, which will improve behavior.

Another common problem associated with ADHD is being impulsive. What happens in this case is that the child will interrupt people’s conversations, blurt out answers in the classroom, barging into games, and taking on a volatile mood. Obviously, for the child with a quick temper, this situation is bad and one that will lead him or her to lash out when frustrated. As with hyperactivity, the child consequences for bad behavior in ADHD children need to be clearly relayed to the child, making him or her understand that when impulsiveness comes up, there are consequences to pay.

Obviously, dealing with these and other ADHD behaviors is enough to push any parent to the limit. Because of this, it is common for the child to hear negative comments or to be criticized. This is not that the parent does not love the child but that the overall situation becomes too much to deal with at some times. Therefore, in addition to child consequences for bad behavior in ADHD children, we recommend that you learn new parenting and teaching skills. Again, this is not an attack on your ability as a parent but an opportunity to learn the required skills for handling an ADHD child.

For instance, stand back and look to see how you are responding to your child’s behavior. If your child is rude, disruptive, and constantly acting up, then perhaps you are nagging or criticizing and not even realize it. As you can imagine, this wears you both down. For this, you should rate your child’s behavior so you can react accordingly. The traffic light method is often used, which means when your child behaves appropriately the light is green, if your child is teetering on the edge, doing just small annoying things, the light is yellow, but if your child is out right being bad, the light is red. By rating your child’s behavior, you can pick your battles. Using coping tools and skills coupled with appropriate child consequences for bad behavior in ADHD children is crucial to surviving the turmoil associated with this disorder.

 


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