ADHD, an activity and attention disorder, intrinsically affects how the brain is structured. However, the support and skills learned in childhood guide how they learn to work with attention-related challenges.
Tervistalo is a psychologist specializing in neuropsychology Syrah Matt She has over 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents and young adults diagnosed with neurospectrum disorders.
– The more support a child with ADHD receives, the less likely it is to cause problems in adulthood, for example in work life or relationships. In the best case, a person has learned to recognize situations that are difficult for him, and has enough food in his bag for the rest of his life to be able to act in the face of such situations, Tervistalo, a specialist in neuropsychology. Syrah Matt The notice says.
The skills of focus and self-motivation are not only emerging but must be practiced, especially with the ADHD child. At the same time, we learn to notice when concentration is lost and how to regain it.
– You can learn new skills throughout your life, but when you are a child, the plasticity of the brain is very high, and new skills become routine more easily.
ADHD does not necessarily appear everywhere
Sometimes problems caused by ADHD may only appear at school but not at home – or vice versa.
– During the school day, the child may already have a lot of problems, and then it happens that the problems show up at home. Matta explains that an important skill to learn at home is that the child learns to feel what burdens him and how it feels in his own body.
Once you learn to recognize stress, you can learn ways to relax.
– The child may need rest time throughout the day. Attention Deficit Disorder is often associated with emotional sensitivities, and in this case you and the child can work together to find an appropriate way to recover. Light exercise, rocking, stroking or learning can help. There is some evidence that mindfulness-based exercises work well to support relaxation.
Self-knowledge helps when practicing concentration control and the ability to return to work.
– For example, when I notice a decrease in the child's concentration in my living room, we return to that moment. We discuss whether the child noticed when the concentration stopped, what happened, why it happened and how it felt in your own body, Matta explains.
In addition to their own abilities, the child needs the support of the environment
According to Määtä, it is common for a child with ADHD to already have the skills to do homework, for example, and will need even stronger support from his environment to use his skills.
– This is why it is important to think with the family about how to modify the home environment to support learning and success. For example, a parent can divide homework into smaller parts, make sure the space is quiet, or encourage the child with a new sticker on the notebook. ADHD makes it difficult to be motivated, so external motivational support may be needed, Määttä says.
According to Määtä, parents are often worried by the idea that a child should already know certain things at a certain age.
– I always advise to give up such an idea. Every child develops at their own pace and ADHD can slow down learning independent skills. A child may need support with evening activities or long hours of homework, but slowly these become independent skills.
According to Määtä, the most important thing is trust and patience working together.
– The child learns at the same time as his peers. And if daily skills are learned from an early age, they carry throughout life, says Mata.
