The First Day Back to School after Vacation: Was it Difficult for you and your Child/Teenager with ADHD?

In my previous blog entry, I talked about how to diminish the amount of arguing between the child with ADHD and his parents. As children with ADHD grow older, moments of contention are arguably sparked by specific situations. For example, some parents of children with ADHD as well as the children themselves may arguably find the the first day of school after a vacation to be a difficult day.

On these children’s vacation days, they have typically been engaged in activities at a much slower pace than the ones in which they are engaged on a school day. Additionally, oftentimes, the activities in which they participate on their vacation are typically of their own choosing as well as ones that they enjoy, such as going to the movies, playing video and computer games, and going to shopping malls, etc., among others.

Then, all of a sudden, vacation is over and once again, they have to attend school the next day. As soon as school starts, children with ADHD’s schedule is not only much more restricted, but in addition, is not controlled by them. Their schedule is now controlled by their parents. They have to go to bed at a certain time, get up at a certain time, do their homework, remember to put their homework in their school bag, (which is not always so easy!) as well as to adhere to a restricted nightly routine, such as taking a shower, brushing their teeth, etc., among many others.

Believe it or not, children with ADHD are much more productive when they complete their daily responsibilities according to a restricted schedule. That being said, one way to seemingly reduce the tension between your child/teenager with ADHD over their schedule is to make the schedule together. In that way, they will learn the art of compromise, which is really the only way to diminish unpleasant interactions that may include anything from minor disagreements to major arguments.

In addition to designing the child’s schedule together, another way to diminish unpleasant interactions is to reduce the child’s stressful reactions to anything that might result in an argument. In order to reduce stress, any chore that might possibly be completed before the morning, when time is of the essence, will most definitely reduce an argument between the child/teenager with ADHD and his parent.

For example, make sure that he picks out his clothes in the evening before he goes to bed. If your child is one who finds it difficult to decide on what to wear, or changes his mind, let him pick out two outfits, with a clear understanding that he will chose one of those outfits in the morning. Even though you required him to choose clothes in the evening that he will wear in the morning, he retains some control when you ask him in the morning, “Which outfit are you going to wear?”

Let me know what you think…..