How do I Guide Social Behavior in Kids With ADHD?

Children affected with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often struggle with interpersonal relationships. ADHD, by definition, affects a child's ability to control impulses. This can lead to speaking out of turn, making inappropriate comments and an inability to control anger and determine the feelings of others. If your child has ADHD, she needs you to guide her in social behavior just as much as she needs academic support.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine the extent to which your child is affected socially. ADHD does not affect every child the same way. Some students may struggle more academically, while others are affected more socially. Talk to your child's teacher to find out how he interacts socially at school. Speak to other adults who play a part in your child's life (aunts, uncles, Sunday School teachers, karate instructors, friends' parents) and try to obtain a well-rounded picture of how she is doing in this area. This will help you tailor a plan that capitalizes on your child's strengths and targets his weaknesses.

• 2

  Perform a "Social Autopsy" with your child. According to addadhdadvances.com, this technique is a four-step process designed to help your child recognize social errors and learn how to avoid them in the future. Here is how to perform a social autopsy if your child grabs a ball that another child is playing with and runs off with it. First, identify the error. Explain to your child that taking another child's toy is wrong. Next, determine who was hurt by the error. In this case, your child's friend was hurt when his ball was taken. Third, correct the error. In this case, your child should give the ball back and apologize to her friend. Finally, determine how to avoid this error in the future. Role-play with the child what he should do in the future: If he wants to play with the ball, he should politely ask his friend if he can have a turn. These steps can be adapted for any social errors your child has.

• 3

  Play "Feeling Charades" with your child. As described on 4adhd.com, this non-traditional charades game helps ADHD children learn to identify the feelings of others and be more empathetic. Use a 3-by-5 card for each emotion you want your child to work on, such as happy, sad, angry, bored, confused, etc. Let the child (or children in a group) draw out one card at a time and act out the feeling. She should concentrate on both body language and facial expression.