Why should I consider parent training?

Kids with ADHD benefit from direct tools and regular connection to improve their executive functioning skills. Parent training gives parents the techniques, strategies and confidence to empower their children and teens for success at home and school.

Kids with ADHD need to acquire the essential tips and tools to improve their executive functioning skills and this rarely happens through observation or osmosis. While medication can make them more attentive to absorb and process information, pills don’t teach the essential skills they need to mature into independent, capable adults. Children and teens with ADHD depend on parents to teach them the tools for key executive functioning skills such as self-regulation, initiation, time management, goal-directed persistence, and organization that they need for successful daily living. Parent training has been proven to be a successful method to create and sustain behavioral change for kids and families living with ADHD.¹

In my 30 years of experience, I have found that unquestionably, parent training programs are most effective when they focus on collaboration as a way to improve cooperation and build on the positive parts of any parent-child relationship. My 5C’s of ADHD parenting approach- self-control, compassion, collaboration, consistency and celebration² – can improve daily living, offer a strong foundation that can be applied to any program, and nurture the trust and connection that families need in order to follow through, adjust and note progress on agreed-upon plans.

Regardless of whatever parent training program you choose, managing your own reactions before dealing with your son or daughter, meeting kids where they are instead of where you think they should be, working together to create solutions, aiming for steadiness rather than perfection and noticing what’s going will foster the growth mindsets that lead to lasting change.

Download Printable article
Infographic as Image or PDF