Helping Parents of ADHD children cope with the effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on everyday life.
As you may or may not know, Youth with ADHD and other learning differences often struggle with change, and we are definitely in the midst of a lot of change right now! Schools are closed; parents are off work, trying to work from home in the chaos, or still making the trek into work while worrying about childcare. On top of that, you may be wondering how you are going to keep your child busy for the upcoming weeks let alone provide some sort of an education. I am pulling my hair out just thinking about it!
So how do we get through this together? The first step is to try and keep as much routine that already exists at home. Keep waking up, breakfast, and bedtime the same. Being home does not mean that they are on summer break and can be on electronics all day. It is essential that they keep their minds sharp and continue to learn even though they are not in school.
Exercise and change of environment are important. Often hyperactivity can come from a lack of stimulus. Prevent this by breaking your day up with exercise and play activities as well as moving to different rooms in the house.
Do not forget about life skills! This is the perfect time to implement life skills. Chores such as cooking meals, laundry, and cleaning their bedrooms are great was to have them share in responsibility at home. There are no excuses since you no longer have a hectic schedule of extracurricular activities after school.
Lastly, remember that if something is not working it is ok to change it up. Do not feel like you have to be so rigorous with a time schedule that you cannot allow for change. While our youth struggle with change, there will always be change. The goal of the schedule is to ease the chaos and stress created by the COVID-19 situation we are currently in and create a routine that will help them and you adjust to this sudden change.
Download the daily schedule here!