ADD Student

For those of us in the United States, Thursday is Thanksgiving and that means a 4 day weekend for lots of ADD Students.

The next few days can be a challenge for the parent of an ADD Student for a number of reasons.

An extra long weekend means having your child around more often, along with siblings and perhaps one or both parents. While this can be an excellent time for family fun, it can also be too much of a good thing.

I am mom to 3 ADHD kids, so I don’t know any other way, but if you have just one ADHD child in your family, the ADD symptoms tend to stand out a little more. It can put others on edge, especially after a few days.

Another factor is that there is more extended family around during the holidays. We all love our families, but there are times when they can stress us out too.

A big family gathering can be overwhelming for an ADD child. In addition to all of the extra people around, there’s a lot of food, and not all of it is healthy. Consider too, that their normal schedule has been thrown off as well as their sleep patterns and you can see why they might not be on their best behavior.

Here are a few ideas to help you and your ADD child have a more pleasant holiday:

Try to stick to a fairly normal schedule, especially where sleep is concerned. More important that sticking to a regular bedtime, though, is making sure your child gets enough sleep.

Encourage healthy eating, especially protein. An extra helping of turkey will be more beneficial ADD wise than an extra slice of pie. Also encourage drinking water rather than soft drinks or at least in addition to them.

Help your child find a quiet spot wherever you are celebrating so that if they should feel overwhelmed, they have an unobtrusive spot to escape to. Depending on their age, you might want to have your child come find you instead. A few quiet minutes away from all of the chaos can help them collect themselves and settle down.

Consider some time spent outdoors also. Burning off a little excess energy and being out in the fresh air can do wonders.