It’s heartbreaking for the parent of an ADHD child to watch as the child has trouble making friends. While ADHD does not always affect peer relationships, more than half of ADHD children say they experience difficulty getting along with others.

Thankfully, some social skills can be learned. The earlier a parent notices social skills deficits, ADHD setbacks in relationships are able to be fixed. Through proper training and intervention, parents can work to improve their child’s interactions with others. The following tips will help the ADHD child to strengthen his or her social skills:

• Make peer relationships a priority for the child. For a happy future, peer relationships are equally as important as academic skills.
• Encourage the child to play with one peer at a time. Invite the child’s friend over so that he or she gets more practice interacting with others.
• Involve the child in activities with his or her peers. Talk with parents, teachers, leaders, counselors, and coaches to find out how the child is interacting with others.
• Teach the child social skills like being friendly, watching what you say, thinking before you speak, observing others, going with the flow, asking questions, and listening to others instead of interrupting.
• Tell the child to refrain from teasing, bragging, criticizing, and disrupting his or her peers.

Parents should remember that ADHD children are easily overwhelmed. Where ADHD behavior modification is concerned, it’s best to work on only one social skill at a time. A parent might try role-playing at home to practice social skills. Some parents also find professional help—such as a counselor or charm school—is beneficial for their children.