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HELPING KIDS WITH ADHD COPE DURING THE HOLIDAYS By Andrea Thomas, MD
Angela Thomas, MD, is a board-certified adult and child psychiatrist located at Grayson & Associates in Homewood.
28 | birminghamparent | december 2016 / january 2017
Thoughts of this holiday season might bring to mind images of a glowing fireplace, rosy cheeks, and your kids laughing together as they sip hot cocoa. While this might be an accurate description of your family during the holidays, it isn’t the case with many families who have children with attention difficulties or other impulse control disorders. In these scenarios, the winter break can be challenging. The cold and rain make it difficult to get outside. When the weather is not wreaking havoc, the days are much shorter. Parents are stressed by family coming in town, last minute shopping, cooking and preparing for that magical day. The best method to reduce the chaos is to proactively plan ahead. This includes mentally preparing yourself for the potential extra effort required to navigate through this time. During this preparation and throughout the season, it is also critical to take care of your own mental and physical health. As parents we tend to worry excessively about the needs of our children and put ours on the back burner. When we do that, we become stressed and tired which leads to increased inflammation and achiness, problem solving difficulties, temper flares and an increase in cortisol (the hormone that makes you hungry, fat and grumpy). Siblings are very important to enlist in your endeavors towards a peaceful holiday. Make sure to have an open discussion with your neurotypical kids (children without developmental disabilities) and explain that it is not their job to police their brother or sister, but to model the kinds of behaviors that are desired. It might also be useful to teach your kids the difference between tattling and reporting. Then finally, discuss the plans for the holidays with your impulsive, inattentive, wonderful child. Bedtime over the break should be about the same as through the
regular school year. Research indicates children who go to bed within an hour of their regular bedtime (even on weekends and holidays) are more likely to thrive and have the best grades. Maintenance of a calendar containing all activities planned during the season can create the rhythm of a productive day. For example, the day starts with breakfast, a period of short quiet activity like reading or electronic learning game followed by high energy indoor activity. To settle them back down, music/dance or an outing to the park can get you to lunch. Children with ADHD have needs for high levels of activity, and it’s important to not let winter weather keep your child from exhausting his/ her energy. Small, indoor trampolines are great for releasing energy in a small space. Some even fold up to store
Children with ADHD have needs for high levels of activity, and it’s important to not let winter weather keep your child from exhausting his/ her energy.
under the bed. Jump ropes and springy “Moon Shoes” are other fun ideas. “Elefun” is an active game that has your child up and chasing butterflies. If you have a few particularly rowdy kids, tie a three foot string to a balloon and your child’s leg. Let the kids chase each other. The last one left with an intact balloon wins. Balloon volleyball, basketball, and hot potato can be fun as well. Tons of ideas can be found on Pinterest, but make sure to do your research now and not at 11pm on December 21.