Many children with ADHD as they advance into the teenage years become more and more stubborn about accepting help with the symptoms of ADHD. They either stop doing all of their schoolwork or they do it and forget to hand it in, or both. What can you do to help them? Some people think that the only way that an adolescent with ADHD will learn to accept help is to “burn out” and get to a feeling of such frustration, that they will finally be ready for some sort of help.
This is NOT the way to help an adolescent with ADHD. Trust me that when they get to such a low point, they cannot pull themselves back up to accept help. The trick is to work with them before they get to that point so that they never reach it. If they are resistant to help, try to open the gates of communication again. Be warm and nurturing and let them know that you are there for them and not the least bit angry at them because they are experiencing difficulties n school. Remind them that everyone gets frustrated at some point or another. The trick is to try to get them over that frustration point. How can you do so?
Find something at which they have had success and encourage them to involve themselves more in that activity. Say, for example that your child is having difficulty doing his Science work but has had success playing on his soccer team. Try to get him to play more soccer so that he feels successful at something, until he can climb out of the “frustration ditch” of his schoolwork. It is worth a try.
If ADHD is a brain disorder then why not start with interventions involving the brain? I've been reading what Brain Balance – http://www.brainbalancecenters.com – has to say about ADHD: that all neurobehavioral disorders have in common an underlying condition called functional disconnection syndrome. Through diet, behavior modification, brain exercises and educational techniques that help make connections, Brain Balance asserts one can reduce or eliminate symptoms. While their site doesn’t really talk cause (environment, genetics, birth injury, etc.) it's worth a read, particularly the “truth" section.
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