How Children Live With Having ADHD

How Children Live With Having ADHD ADHD Living With ADD/ADHD Print How Children Live With Having ADHD By Keath Low Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Keath Low Updated on June 17, 2019 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Russ Rohde / Cultura / Getty Images In general, young children tend to be active, rambunctious, and impulsive. They often play loudly and love to climb and run. They squirm and fidget and would much rather be up and out, exploring the world around them. It is not unusual for kids to have trouble listening, remembering, and following directions. Parents all over the world feel frustration at one time or another about the need to remind their child to do something and the child simply forgetting or getting distracted by another, more interesting activity. Many kids are also careless, lose things, and have difficulty waiting their turn. This is all a normal part of being a child. Children With ADHD For a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), however, normal childhood behaviors and challenges are tremendously amplified. The symptoms of ADHD are pervasive, chronic, and disruptive and cause significant problems for the child at school, home, and with friends. Symptoms must have been present for at least six months to a point that is disruptive and inappropriate for the child’s developmental level. In other words, the impairments are far greater than in other children of the same age. Children with ADHD can  become frustrated and overwhelmed very easily, have trouble regulating their emotions, and struggle with executive function issues. They may, for example, have great difficulty planning, prioritizing, paying attention and remembering details. They also tend to be less mature developmentally. Some children with ADHD are very charismatic, personable, and popular. For many others, however, behavior problems result in rejection, isolation, and plunging self-esteem. What  Its Like for a Child With ADHD It can be tough living with ADHD. For the child, there can be a spectrum of feelings. Just a few may include a sense of frustration, a feeling of being lost and disconnected or confused, or a feeling of being overcharged, restless, and out of control. So often children with ADHD run up against negative labels that are inaccurate and they may begin to feel like “the bad kid” or “lazy” or “dumb” when this is not true at all The Importance of Understanding ADHD Understanding more about ADHD and how it affects a child individually can be empowering to that child.    It is helpful for these kids to understand  what ADHD is, and  what it is not. With understanding comes the ability to  work with parents and teachers to develop coping strategies. In this way, the child can also find their areas of strength and build upon those areas. When a child sees himself as having both challenges and strengths  and receives both support and recognition, self-esteem grows. Instead of seeing himself as damaged, the child can see himself in a more positive, more capable, and more accurate light.