Teenage years can be difficult, but if you have a teen who’s diagnosed with ADHD or you suspect they may have ADHD, you may be wondering how you can help them navigate this period of their lives.
Here we’ll talk you through our top tips for helping your teen navigate their teenage years with ADHD.
Structure and Routine
A daily schedule for activities including sleep, exercise, meals, homework and chores can help the days seem more manageable, and prevent your teen from feeling overwhelmed. To-do lists and planners can also be a helpful way to ensure your teen stays organised and on track day-to-day.
Clear instructions and boundaries should be communicated to ensure consistency when enforcing rules and consequences.
Communication and Emotional Support
As a parent, it’s important to remember that your teen can’t control their ADHD, so you should be patient, calm and understanding, and avoid anger or frustration. If you’re speaking to them you should give clear instructions and avoid giving them too much information as it may become overwhelming.
You should speak to your teen and see if they would consider talking to a therapist, counsellor or coach about strategies to help them cope with emotional and mental challenges.
Building Skills
Your teen must build skills that will help them through their teens and into their adult life, that’s why you should consider:
- Giving your teen opportunities to manage their tasks
- Allowing them to take on more responsibility
- Acknowledging and praising them for their efforts, no matter how big or small
- Helping them develop strategies to manage emotions, impulsivity and inattention
- Encouraging them to look after themselves in terms of their diet, exercise and sleep
Family
As a teen, families can seem embarrassing and overbearing, but it’s important to push through and let your teen know that you’re there for them.
Create a supportive environment where everyone understands ADHD, where everyone can speak openly and freely, and where conflicts or disagreements are addressed calmly and constructively. Make an effort to spend quality time together, even if in a small way.
If you’re looking for individual or family support to help your teen, get in touch with Lighthouse Coaching today!
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