The ADHD Child and Peer Relationships
 While
the parents of ADHD children may consider school performance
a top priority, the ability for the ADHD child to develop
healthy friendships with peers is just as important as schoolwork.
Over time, the ADHD child and adult will learn how to read
and write, but difficulties in finding friends is a situation
that can haunt the ADHD individual for a lifetime.
Furthermore,
studies show that even when a child receives help with schoolwork,
if he or she has social
skills deficits, ADHD symptoms are statistically more
likely to cause juvenile delinquency and school drop-out.
That’s why teaching the ADHD child to interact properly
with peers is just as important as teaching academic skills.
Some research
suggests that more than half of ADHD children are rejected
by their peers, and experts are not exactly sure why ADHD
children suffer peer rejection this frequently. Consequently,
children with attention difficulties may have trouble being
chosen as teammates, best friends, school partners, and seatmates.
As the ADHD child grows into adulthood, poor social skills
affect his or her ability to maintain a successful career
and home life.
In what ways
do ADHD children have trouble in relating to peers? No one
can list all the factors, but ADHD does lead to certain behaviors
sometimes deemed inappropriate in a social setting. For example,
ADHD children tend to be more impulsive, so they are more
likely to interrupt others and be disruptive. ADHD children
may also exhibit signs of aggression. Their intense behavior
could result in yelling, hitting, dominating play, teasing,
and other unattractive behaviors. In addition to peer relationships,
this could affect ADHD
driving habits.
As the child
progresses from elementary school through the teenage years
to adulthood, the parent of an ADHD child should embrace the
importance of teaching social skills. Your child’s psychological
well being depends on his or her ability to make and keep
friends. These interpersonal skills are vital to a lifetime
of happiness and success.
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