Management at Home. Bringing up an ADHD child, like bringing up any child, is a continuing process. No single point is ever reached where the parent can sit back and say, "That's it. My child is now OK, and I don't have to do anything more." An ADHD child, however, is different from other children in very specific ways. The ADHD toddler is physically aggressive and the parent must teach the child to channel this into verbal expression. The young ADHD child then often becomes verbally abusive, and the parent must encourage the child to redirect this form of aggression into more acceptable physical or intellectual activities, such as competitive one-on-one sports, energetic music, or big colorful paintings. It is futile and damaging to try to force an ADHD child to be just like most children. It is possible, however, to limit destructive behavior and to instill a sense of self-worth that will help overcome negativity toward life, which is one of the great dangers of this disorder. Self-worth evolves from self-discipline, the ability to step back and consider the consequences of an action and then to control that action before taking it. To help a child achieve self-discipline requires empathy, patience, affection, energy, and toughness.

At first, the idea of changing the behavior of a highly energetic, obstinate, willful child is daunting. Some parents are easy going and can accept a wide range of behavior, while others can't. Parents should prepare a list giving priority to those behaviors they think are most negative, such as fighting with other children or refusing to get up in the morning. The least negative behaviors on the bottom of the list should be ignored temporarily or even permanently (eg, refusing to wear anything but red T-shirts). Certain odd behaviors that are not hurtful to the child or to others may be an indication of creative or humorous attempts to adapt (eg, making up silly songs or drawing violent pictures). These should be accepted as part of the child's unique and positive development, even if they seem peculiar to the parent. It is very important to understand that ADHD children have much more difficulty adapting to change than do children without the condition. <SEE MORE>