Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions in children.
It affects attention, behaviour and impulse control in a way that significantly creates challenges in everyday life.
For instance, at school, a child may start an assignment but quickly get distracted or leave their seat repeatedly.
At home, they typically forget instructions, switch between tasks and struggle to follow rules.
In social settings, impulsive actions like grabbing toys or interrupting peers can make it difficult to maintain friendships.
it shows up as poor discipline and parents are always likely to take the flak from people who will not take their time to hear the other side of the story, such children are not destined to remain ‘undisciplined’.
Game changer
The game changer is actually how adults respond to the child’s behaviour. Such children need patience, understanding and the right parenting strategies in order to learn, develop and practice discipline.
Discipline simply means training a child with essential life skills such as self-control, respect for others and responsibility. Discipline is actually the cornerstone of effective learning.
It teaches children how to stay focused, organise their work, and persist even when tasks are challenging. Without discipline, effort becomes inconsistent, the outcome is shoddy and learning goals are easily abandoned.
For children with ADHD, discipline must be mostly taught through structure, encouragement and positive reinforcement.
Punishment does not make much impact.
This is how discipline becomes a tool for success rather than a source of frustration.
Situation
In the ADHD situation, the part of the child’s brain responsible for executive function is affected.
This makes it harder to follow rules, manage time or complete tasks.
Such children often love hands-on and interactive learning styles.
Therefore, the challenge is to understand and adapt to their needs in order to help them develop self-discipline and regulate their behaviour.
The way to instill discipline is to set simple, specific and achievable rules and goals.
It should be very clear to the child what success looks like or what is expected of them.
The ADHD brain responds well to immediate feedback.
Therefore, praising and rewarding good behaviour sends a strong signal about what is acceptable.
The converse is also true. Positive attention, however, encourages repetition of desired behaviours.
Parents who are not firm in establishing consistent daily routines for meals, homework, play and bedtime, for instance, may face more struggles as the child grows older.
Even visual schedules and charts can become necessary in school and at home to help children predict and anticipate what's next.
With a lot of practice and rigour, they are able to slow down and follow set patterns.
Blame
It is easy to blame and judge parents struggling to redirect a child with ADHD. Parents and teachers must, therefore, agree on consistent styles of caregiving for the good of the child.
Calm guidance in no way endorses the permissive type of parenting.
Permissive parenting rather reinforces the situation and makes it much harder to instil discipline in children.
It is characterised by a lack of structure, where the child is flexibly left to decide their meal times, nap times, play times, etc.
Without firm boundaries, children do not get enough opportunities to practice self-regulation or self-control.
A permissive approach may lead to frequent emotional outbursts, defiance or difficulty following directions because limits are not consistently embraced.
Setting a good example of respect, patience, empathy, and self-control also contributes to the developing brain.
In recent times, excessive screen time has been a major source of worry because of its impact on the developing brain.
The overstimulation of sensory areas, instead of frequent social interactions with others, has been linked to attention issues and ADHD in more pervasive situations.
When screens replace faces, the brain loses practice in focus, empathy and connection.
Yet, these are the very skills that anchor attention and learning.
The writer is a Child development expert/Fellow, Zero-To-Three Academy, USA.
E-mail: nanaesi.gaisie@wellchildhaven.com
