Three Ways to Unlock Potential in Children with ADHD

Children with ADHD are full of energy, enthusiasm, and life.  While these are fun qualities, at times they create challenges.  Many children with ADHD do not conform to the ‘inside the box’ educational system as their movement, energy, and need for support stretch a teacher’s resources.  It takes an understanding and intentional teacher or parent to help truly unlock potential in a child with ADHD.

Children with ADHD are often outside the box thinkers, movers, and shakers who have enormous amounts of creativity and energy and once properly channeled, this energy can result in enormous success. You may have heard the names of famous people who have channeled their ADHD to their advantage including Michael Phelps, Ty Pennington, Wendy Davis, Adam Levine, and Howie Mandel.

Unlock Potential in Children with ADHD

The first thing you can do to help unlock the potential of your child with ADHD is to understand that your child is intelligent.  Sometimes schools define intelligence by a single IQ score but intelligence is much broader than that. I subscribe to the theory of multiple intelligences that was created by psychologist and professor Howard Gardner. He identified eight types of intelligences which include: visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, interpersonal, logical, musical, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.  In my book, The ADHD Empowerment Guide: Identifying Your Child’s Strengths and Unlocking Potential, I have a short survey you can take to determine your child’s top three intelligences.

The second way to help a child with ADHD is to shore up any weaknesses in personal characteristics or executive functioning. We want your child to have the necessary skills to do things independently, predictably, and consistently. My book has a survey you take to identifyyour child’s weaker areas that could prevent your child from maximizing the natural strengths you identified in the multiple intelligence profile.

Now that you know your child top intelligences and which area need strengthen, the third thing to do is give your child opportunities and experiences to enhance the strengths.  Since some children with ADHD don’t excel in academics, they need other areas where they can be successful and feel good about themselves.  I suggest you consider your child’s top three intelligences and any weaker personal traits and engage in activities to build them.  My book matches specific activities to each area.

Your intentionality will help unlock the potential in your child with ADHD and position your child for success.