On this week’s edition of Soaring Child, we’re joined by Elaine Taylor-Klaus, who’s an author, parent educator, and certified coach, as well as the CEO of ImpactParents.com. She co-created the Sanity School Behavior Therapy Training Program to support parents of ADHD kids.
A lot of kids with ADHD have poor executive functioning skills, which help us organize, think, plan, and prioritize. It’s basically how our mind works to get everything done. Executive functioning includes memory issues, emotional management, hyperactivity, sequencing, action, and engagement. These all interact with one another, so the challenge isn’t in just one area. With ADHD, executive functioning can be impacted significantly, with kids not knowing how to complete tasks even if their mental abilities are quite high.
Parents of children with ADHD need to be trained to understand how to create an environment that’s supportive for their kids who have difficulty with executive functioning. The parents’ behavior is a critical factor in helping kids change. So is nutrition and mindset. Shifting our perspective allows for behaviors to change, which in turn changes the outcome.
Make sure you’ve pinpointed the right problem by breaking it down and looking at what’s really happening. Take it in small parts to solve the bigger behavioral issues. As a parent, you can do it. You just can’t do it all at once.
You should also enroll your child collaboratively in the process of understanding how you can solve this problem together. This gives them a sense of ownership.
Our kids need positive parenting in the context of understanding executive function and setting appropriate expectations. To feel seen, respected, and regarded in the relationship is the core of all of it.
