Is your Adolescent with ADHD Starting High School in the Fall? Does that Mean that he has to Take on more Responsibility?

After you found out that your child was diagnosed with ADHD, your behavior most likely changed. All of a sudden, you began to think about your child as someone who needs help to do his homework, pick out his clothes for school, and intercede between him and a friend, among other behaviors. You did what you had to do in order to help your child to do whatever typical children did as well as accomplish whatever typical children accomplished.

Then, out of the blue, your child is ready for high school. The help that you previously have given your child seems (as others, such as friends and grandparents have pointed out to you) to cause him to remain dependent and unwilling to manage his own responsibilities. You know very well that the last thing that you want is for your child to be looked upon as someone who is not accountable and appears to be vulnerable and fragile, because as you and your child know from the past, that kind of demeanor leads to bullying.

What can you do now in order to help him to take responsibility for his actions and his homework before he attends his first day of high school? I know that it seems overwhelming, and quite honestly, it is overwhelming, because it appears that you and your spouse have to change every single thing that you have done. It becomes especially anxiety-provoking if your husband and you are not on the same page.

Where and how can you begin? First, you have to talk to your spouse and make sure that both of you are treating your adolescent in the same way. Second, you have to talk to your child and explain to him why many things are going to be changing in terms of him taking on more responsibility.

More later….But first, a few questions for you. Are you experiencing an issue such as this one right now? How are you encouraging your adolescent to take on more responsibility? How is your adolescent responding to entering high school in the Fall? Does he seem to be aware that he will need to become more accountable for his homework, among other things?