The Child with ADHD’s Bill of Rights
“Help me to focus.”
Please teach me through my sense of touch. I need “hands on” and body movement.
“I need to know what comes next.” .
Please give me a structured environment where there is dependable routine. Give me advance warning if there will be changes.
“Wait for me! I’m still thinking.”
Please allow me to go at my own pace. If I rush I get confused and upset.
“I’m Stuck! I can’t do it!”
Please offer me options for problem - solving. I need to know the detours
when the road is blocked.
“Is it right? I need to know NOW!”
Please give me rich and immediate feedback on how I’m doing.
This will help me to understand.
“I didn’t forget! I didn’t hear it in the first place!”
Please give me directions one step at a time, and ask me gently to say back what I heard you say.
“I didn’t know I WASN’T in my seat.”
Please gently remind me to stop, think, and then act.
“Am I almost done now?”
Please give me short work periods and short term goals so I can experience success.
“What?”
Please don’t say “I already told you that.” Tell me again in different words.
Give me a signal. Draw me a symbol.
“I know! It’s all wrong, isn’t it?”
Please give me praise for partial success. Reward me for improvement, not just for perfection.
“But why do I always get yelled at?!”
Please catch me doing something right, and praise me for my specific, positive behavior. Remind me (and yourself) about my many good points when I’m having a bad day.
“I may be a challenge to live with and to teach sometimes, but I still have real feelings, and would never have chosen to behave like I sometimes do. I respect you and really, really need your approval”
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
Ana Furtado
Hi
This Bill Of Rights is great, it does help parents understand how to deal with our children in many unpleasant ocasions. My son is only 4 years old and already has a ADHD behaviour pattern, although his doctor told us that he might outgrow it before he goes to school, but for that we have to work hard with him to try to alter his behaviour. I´m just getting started and I need all the help I can get. We live in Portugal, and unfortunatly there aren´t many self help groups over here and I think that most parents like me, must feel lost and think why did this happen to me, what did I do wrong. So a site like this one is a great help. Thank you
Sep 6th, 2007
Jerry
Ana,
I’ve always liked this myself, and it does help to remember that even a child with ADHD doesn’t want to do the wrong thing, they just do it before they think about the consequences.
Keep up the good work!
Sep 8th, 2007
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