As the parent of an ADHD child, your household is likely a constant flurry of activity. Getting up in the morning, getting ready for school, getting homework done, doing chores … you work through these situations on a daily basis, and there will be plenty more challenges awaiting you in the future.

You know by now that parenting an ADHD child takes patience. Most of the time, the ADHD child is not trying to be intentionally defiant, lazy, inattentive, or disobedient. Your child simply needs help identifying and overcoming the symptoms of ADHD. By helping your child to adapt to ADHD, you can develop skills that will be the keys to succeeding later in life.

One important step is establishing family rules. Set down as few rules as possible, and be consistent in enforcing those rules for everyone, including yourself. Post the rules in a prominent location as a reminder to the entire family.

Next, be sure to hold regular family meetings. These meetings are a time for everyone to air their concerns without ridicule or criticism. At the meetings, family members have equal time to express themselves. You, as a parent, should reinforce the fact that each family member is equally valued.

Another step in living with an ADHD child is reminding him or her of responsibilities. Holding a child responsible for his or her actions is key to behavior management of ADHD. Since the ADHD child remembers and learns differently than other kids, you may want to use colorful, creative reminders. ADHD children respond well to picture reminders, sticky notes, colorful posters, and lists that can be checked off to show progress. Give your child a clean slate each day, and don’t hold grudges. Build on one success at a time and praise your child for every accomplishment.

Finally, remember that nagging simply doesn’t work with ADHD children. The more you talk, the better chance that the ADHD child will “tune you out.” Keep your words to a minimum, but that doesn’t mean you have to ignore undesirable behavior, either. One good way to respond to undesirable behavior is interrupting the behavior by moving people and/or objects. For example, if your child forgets to complete a chore, remove a privilege like watching TV until the chore is completed. Simply say, “I am turning off the TV now, and it will be turned back on when the chore is done.”

Even when your patience is stretched to the limits, do everything you can to avoid yelling, blaming, and harsh punishments. Try to maintain a calm household where everyone respects each other, follows the rules, and works together to cope with attention difficulties.