What are ADHD symptoms for your child if your are located in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon etc
Are you looking for Therapy for ADHD? Child ADHD stand for Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder and is formally characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is one of the most common mental health conditions amongst children and more than 5% of school children have been diagnosed by seeing a child therapist. There are different “types” of ADHD Including hyperactive type, inattentive type and combined type. It may present with insomnia, or dyslexia, with anger issues, behavior problems or mood swings. It may present with signs of ODD, OCD, Autism or Asperger’s and in some cases, it may not present with anything at all.
Symptoms of ADHD in Children:
The three main symptoms of ADHD include distractibility, restlessness and impulsivity with secondary symptoms such as procrastination. messiness, disorganization, anxiousness, moodiness, or loneliness. If you are a parent who is struggling with how to cope with your child’s behaviors, attitudes or temperament as a result of an ADHD diagnosis, we believe this article will be helpful. If you believe your child exhibits the following behaviors, you may consider visiting a child therapist in your area.
ADHD affects children academically in the area of compromising executive function skills such as memory and concentration, however, ADHD also affects children socially and emotionally as well. ADHD cause deficits in both social and emotional learning. Here are five common social and emotional challenges your child may face as a result of living with ADHD:
– Lack of self-control;
– Decreased pro-social behaviours making it harder for them to make and hold on to friends;
– Lack of social awareness and inability to pick up on social cues;
– Low emotional regulation- cave into their emotions rather than processing or managing them;
– Lack of organizational skills and reliability.
ADHD Tools for Children:
There are many tools you can provide your child to help them master Social and Emotional deficits.
A child with ADHD will often have difficulty managing emotions. They may be more sensitive, have more intense emotions, and have more frequent bouts of emotional distress than the average child. You may see tendencies of this in your child when they struggle to calm down or soothe themselves after a meltdown or can’t find the motivation to take on new challenges. Kids with ADHD, more than other children their age, may also:
• Become easily irritated or frustrated;
• Want what they want and they want it now!
• Can’t seem to use coping mechanisms to calm themselves down when angry;
• Very sensitive to criticism or other people’s judgments.
Due to the nature of ADHD, children may struggle with logical problem solving because their emotions get in the way. It may be more difficult for them to be rational because their emotions can easily overwhelm them. As they get stuck in their emotions – the only thing that matters to them is how badly they feel. For this reason, it is critical for such children to have tools to manage their emotions so they could go on with business as usual. Otherwise, the repercussions include the following:
• Feeling overwhelmed to the point of discouragement or disillusionment
• Feel afraid or too fearful to try or begin new challenges or tasks;
• Feel anxious about mingling with others or developing relationships;
• Feel inferior or insecure so they give up easily;
• Feel insecure, or afraid so they procrastinate;
• Feel needy for attention so they misbehave to get it.
These behaviors that haunt parents daily often stem from emotional deficiencies.
How You Can Help
– Let your child know the importance of emotions and expressing them often;
– As a parent, model expressing your own emotions to your child;
– Register your child in SEL (Social Emotional learning) classes;
– Articulate for your child how they may be feeling if they don’t have the words. Put yourself in their shoes and speak for them if it is difficult for them to express themselves.
If your child often struggles with managing emotions, it can be a good idea to talk with his or her doctor. You may want to discuss having your child register for Positive Kids or try taking medication. Having some tools through Positive Kids and medication may help improve his ability to manage his emotions more effectively. If you live in the Toronto area and are interested in child therpy, call us for a free 15-minute consultation on how Positive Kids can help your child.