Psychology Problems Advice Info

One of our greatest emotional and psychological needs is love. Without love, psychological problems are bound to increase. Love is a healer. It has been described as “the best prescription”.

Many children who have symptoms of ADHD do come from very loving families and homes. This gives such children a wonderful edge to cope with the difficulties that accompany symptoms of ADHD. A large percentage of children who have been abused often do manifest symptoms associated with ADHD, and a disproportional with ADHD, and a disproportional number of children from single family home also manifest these symptoms.

Children need unconditional love, as well as the approval of their parents, their teachers, and from others. Parents need to spend time with their children, to help them with their homework, to give loving but firm boundaries and to protect them from harmful influences. This takes time and effort. The television or the unsupervised Internet are not good babysitters. They can be tools of “isolation and distraction,” as one grade school teacher commented in a letter to the parents of her students. Another educator said of her preschool students, in deep concern, with some frustration, “these children don’t need medicine, they need patience and love.”

Teachers can be a source of love for children who may not be receiving the attention they need at home. A teacher never knows what a child may be going through at home, so must learn to deal with children and teenagers in their care patiently and lovingly, as many do. A parent or teacher who is critical can damage a child’s self -esteem, which can contribute to problems later in life. Any activity that bolsters self-esteem can be part of the healing effort for children with ADHD symptoms. Some teachers and principals, truly are a source of love towards children of all ages, and it is heartwarming to see.

Parents need to be patient with children and to give them their love, attention and approval, which can be a challenge when raising children with special needs. The constant berating or cruelly ridiculing a child can be considered to be a form of child abuse. Children need to be reasoned with and helped to understand the how’s and why’s of a certain action or conduct.

References

1.  Communication, Teaching Notes, 2005. Paterson, NJ.

2.  Letter to parents, (2004).  Paterson, NJ.

3. Neven, Ruth, (1997). Rethinking ADHD.

This article is from the book: Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator’s Guidebook. Available now on Amazon.com, Alibris, and other locations. Please see our Overcoming ADHD book site.  Also, the new ebook version, is available at Kindle.