According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3 to 7 percent of school-aged children have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Because children with ADHD tend to be impulsive, overactive and inattentive, they don't usually respond to standard discipline approaches. As a result, curbing unruly behavior requires that caregivers tweak their methods until they find one that is most effective.
Proper Diagnosis
Before you assume your child has ADHD and attempt to discipline him accordingly, Dr. Phil online recommends that you obtain a proper diagnosis for your child. By taking your child to a specialist, you may find that his unruly behaviors aren't related to ADHD but have more to do with emotional trauma caused by parental divorce, moving or the death of a loved one. Alternately, your suspicions may be confirmed through the results of a neurological test such as a spectrogram or an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Parental Education
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, learn the ins and outs of the disorder before determining how you will approach discipline. Through reading and taking courses, you will discover that your child's disorder shouldn't be treated as a handicap or as a learning disability unless it is diagnosed in conjunction with another condition. You will also learn what behaviors your child should and shouldn't be able to control on his own.
Limits
If your child has ADHD, she should be given limits, even if all she seems to do is test them or forget about them. Although she may have uncontrollable impulses and insuppressible activity levels, she should still be held accountable for the behaviors you know she can control. Set up an easy-to-follow system based on your child's capabilities. For example, instead of expecting your child to pick up her toys after you instruct her to do so, you may need to offer her step-by-step instructions. Her willingness to cooperate, or lack thereof, will give you a chance to consistently offer positive rewards and negative consequences.
The Counting Technique
Dr. Thomas Phelan, clinical psychologist and ADHD expert, describes the counting technique in his 1995 book "1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2 to 12." According to Phelan, you should implement the counting technique when you want your child to stop a certain behavior (e.g., a tantrum). When the behavior begins, hold up a finger and gently say, "That's one." If your child continues to act out, hold up a second finger and say, "That's two." If the behavior persists to the count of three, send your child to his room to have a five-minute cooldown or timeout. If a child refuses to budge, take the timeout yourself, completely ignoring him until it is over.
Praise
Consistently offering praise for good behaviors (about four times more frequent than offering criticism for bad behaviors) is the best method of encouraging your child to act in a positive way, according to Phelan's book. If you praise her when she listens to you or cleans her room without being reminded to do so, she will receive a self-esteem boost and will want to cooperate to receive positive attention.
