ADHD Children in Palm Beach

Look around you and you see them. You may not always recognize kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) but are everywhere throughout society. Most of these kids look so normal on the outside that you often walk right by them without even knowing they have ADHD. Research by the National Institute of Mental Health conservatively estimates that over 2 million kids in the United States are diagnosed with ADHD. They indicate this is between 3 to 5 percent of the population. That’s a lot of kids! This is almost the entire population of some major cities such as Miami or Dallas.

Assuming these numbers are accurate, then in a class of 20 students, the teacher can expect at least 2 kids will have ADHD. On a sports team of 12 students there will be at least one child with ADHD. In a church with a youth population of 100 kids, at least 12 students will have ADHD. How many kids live in your neighborhood? There are some kids with ADHD living around you. Boys and girls with ADHD are everywhere.

It is important for you to remember that your parenting skills are usually not your child’s main issue. Being a more skilled parent will not make ADHD go away. Can we, as parents, improve the skills we use when dealing with our kids with ADHD? Absolutely. But being a parent that is too permissive or strict did not directly result in your child’s ADHD.

I often advise parents to not worry so much about the label but to focus on proactive things they can do to help your child. To raise a successful child with ADHD you must start doing things differently from the day you find out your child has ADHD. First, recognized that ADHD is a disability and that even though your child may look fine on the outside, his/her mind is wired differently on the inside. If you take a ‘disability’ perspective it provides understanding.

You are taking a great step by reading this and teaching yourself more about ADHD because it is a key to raising a successful child. Let me know if I can help.