How to Teach a Child with ADHD to Give a Compliment: Part 2

If the child with ADHD recognizes that the child with whom he is in an interaction has been helpful to him, then he can be taught to give a compliment. It is more important to teach this social skill if the child with ADHD does not understand how helpful the other child has been. In fact, it might facilitate the child with ADHD’s understanding of the other child’s behavior for the teacher to take a video of the other child (with the parents’ permission).

Show the video to the child with ADHD. Point out to the child with ADHD exactly what the child does that demonstrates that he is being helpful. This video can be a two- or three-minute video from any still digital camera to which the teacher has access.

• How should a child give a compliment?

The teacher, the teacher’s assistant, the teacher's aide the paraprofessional, or the parent can serve as a coach to the child with ADHD and teach him to do the following:

• If the child with ADHD is interacting with the other child in some way, then the natural thing would be to give a compliment while they are interacting. If they are playing at recess, the child with ADHD can say, “Jess, your outfit looks cool,” for example. Presumably, the other child will say “Thank you,” and then the child with ADHD can say, “You are welcome.” Or...

•  “Those are delicious cookies that you made. Can you give me the recipe?”

•  Or . . .

• “What a great hit you made today at softball in recess. It helped us to win the game.”

These responses will not be automatic with the child with ADHD, however. You will have to practice faux scenarios and teach the child with ADHD to role play so he learns how to give a compliment.