What is ADHD?

ADHD can be exhausting!

My child has disruptive behaviors and can’t focus.  I think it’s ADHD and it’s exhausting me. What can I do?  First, helping your child. Childhood ADHD is best diagnosed and treated through the combined efforts of a primary care physician and a mental health provider who can put together a thorough developmental and behavioral history.  Treatment consists of emotional and behavioral regulation skills taught at school and home sometimes accompanied by medication. Second, helping yourself.  Raising kids is hard, and ADHD can make it harder.  Be patient. Recognize that the behaviors are not intentional but just the best way the child knows how to handle things.  Have self-compassion.  Don’t beat yourself up about being stressed out or fantasizing about flying away to a quieter place.  Parental stress is uncomfortable but very common.  Finally have hope.  Children mature with a mixture of love and boundaries.  And sometimes that high energy and hyper focus can be a unique strength later in a child’s life.   

We offer counseling in Tallahassee and Apalachicola that helps individuals impacted by attention challenges, and also helps families work as a team to address ADHD.  

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