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ADHD Behaviors

The mornings are chaotic, the kids are struggling to get up on time, and you feel like you are walking on eggshells. You feel like you have tried everything and nothing seems to be working. I hope to provide you a few tips that may be beneficial for your household and reduce the chaos that is associated with ADHD behaviors. Whether your kiddo is hyperactive, struggles with transitions, often forgets to do chores, has difficulty getting to sleep on time, or has temper tantrums, there are a few strategies that can reduce ADHD behaviors in the home. 


Maybe you have an open routine for your household. Your kiddo gets up relatively at the same time every morning, they are expected to eat breakfast by a certain time, and leave for school. For some kiddos this could work wonders where as others may struggle. As a parent, you may notice that your kiddo is in the bathroom for over 20 minutes brushing their teeth and for the life of you you cannot understand why it is taking so long. This is called time blindness where your kiddo struggles with grasping the concept of time. What exactly can be done to improve this? Kiddos with ADHD do much better with visuals. An analog clock that they can see would be very beneficial to help them keep up with the time and how long they are taking while completing any tasks. Auditory reminders can also be very help if your kiddo is easily distracted to keep them on track. For instance, giving them a 5-minute warning or even asking them how much time they have left to improve their awareness. Timers are also great for morning routines, especially for those kiddos who would like more responsibility without constant verbal reminders. Having a visual schedule to see in multiple places that stands out can be a great option too, especially if it’s their favorite color, they are more likely to look at it often.


Alright, so we have established how to implement the morning routine in regards to time management. Let’s take a look at chores. Honestly, I do not know how many children actually enjoy chores. I am confident that there were few chores that I enjoyed as a child. First, it would be ideal to choose chores that are age-appropriate. Some chores kiddos have a hard time with because they maybe too complex. With that being said, if there happens to chores that your kiddo struggles with try collaboratively doing the chore with them so they have a better understanding of what they are expected to do. Often times, parents do not communicate the expectation they have of an activity to their children and it leads to frustration or reluctance to complete a chore. After you have collaboratively completed a chore with your kiddo, you can then write down step by step how complete the chore with them. When they are writing down the steps this allows them to memorize more than verbally being told what to do, which is much easier for them to forget (verbal communication). In addition, some tasks/chores may take longer than others, which will require some kiddos to need a break to reduce feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. 


Now you may be wondering how to manage the difficult behaviors that may not stem from activities your kiddo does not enjoy doing, such as chores or getting up in the morning and you want to manage their behavior. Many times kiddos with ADHD will act out due to difficulty with transitions, inconsistencies, miscommunication, or even build up energy. The best approach to transitions are having a consistent routine in place that they will be able to predict what to expect and how long they will have for an activity. Miscommunication can often increase difficult behaviors because there is an unexplained expectation. The better the communication with the child the better they will perform. Lastly, exerting some of that built up energy will help regulate some emotions that result in unwanted behaviors. 


The best and sometimes most effective tool is asking your kiddo how you can help with certain routines or tasks. You will be amazed how to see what your kiddos may know about themselves that they just require some assistance with to help them. 


Below are specific easy to read bullet points with the specific strategies addressed above:


How to Reduce ADHD Behaviors at Home

  • Routine

  • Set a schedule for getting homework/chores/tasks done

  • Let your child help create the schedule

  • Eat and sleep on schedule

  • Eating healthy to keep their body balanced

  • Make sure they are getting enough sleep, and that they are going to bed and waking up at the same time every day

  • Visual organization

  • If your child is struggling with remembering all their tasks, create a checklist for them to follow

  • Break down each step individually if it seems like they are struggling

  • “Clean your room” (often too big of a task)

  • “Pick up the Legos”, “Put away your clothes”

  • Make sure to come back and check on them to help keep them focused

  • Give breaks

  • After task completion make sure to give breaks so that they can recharge and be engaged in the next task

  • Praise

  • Use positive reinforcement, tell them that you see them working hard

  • Tell them they did a good job

  • Kids are often getting in trouble for things, make sure to catch them being good as well

  • Think out loud

  • They often lack impulse control 

  • Model thinking out loud

  • Say what you are thinking and then say what you are going to do about it.

  • I am feeling frustrated about…., but instead of giving up I can ask for help.

  • This teaches your child to pause and decide how they want to act on their thoughts

  • Explain

  • Make sure when you are giving tasks or chores that you are explaining the reasons for them instead of just commanding. 

  • Explaining the task and the reasoning for it can help with confusion that the child might feel

  • Exercise

  • Make sure to provide time for your child to exercise. This is a good for their health, and it helps them get energy out to focus on tasks later

  • Pick your battles

  • It’s impossible to address every problem, and just causes more stress for everyone. Let the smaller things go so that you can work on the larger problems 

  • Be consistent

  • Make sure all caregivers are consistent with the rules and schedules that are established for the child

  • It’s better when caregivers are consistent because the child knows what is expected of them, which makes them feel more comfortable

  • When family members are inconsistent, conflict may arise due to the unknown



 
 
 

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