Christmas can come with additional challenges for kids with ADHD, so here’s how you can make things easier for them

Christmas is one of the most exciting times of year for children. They love all the pretty sparkly lights and the decorations and will be very excited about receiving presents. They will love having time off school and they will enjoy all the extra fun, games and activities on offer.

However, for children with ADHD, all this means is that you need to accept that they will be more hyperactive and possibly emotional than usual. So here are my top tips for navigating the festive season with your ADHD children.

1. Keep them occupied

Being bored is never good for ADHD children. So try to include them in the Christmas preparations such as shopping, wrapping presents, making decorations, and cooking.

Try and have something planned each day, especially during the period between Christmas and New Year. The ADHD child’s brain will need something to look forward to. So, look for child-friendly activities and events that are happening near you, and see if you can include one each day. You can also plan some play dates with friends.

Try and get your child to go outside as much as possible so they can expend some of their energy. If it’s snowing, they will love nothing more than playing in the snow, but any outdoor time is beneficial!

2. Stagger the presents

While ADHD children may want everything now, it’s a great idea to ask relatives or friends who are visiting after Christmas day to save the presents and bring them with them. Unexpected presents after Christmas day always give the ADHD child something new to be interested in and excited by. And it’s also a good idea to hide away a few presents which you ‘miraculously find’ later on Christmas Day afternoon.

3. Monitor sugar intake

An ADHD brain will be very excited by the chocolate and sweets in their stocking, in their presents and on the tree! Denying never goes down well, but delaying ‘just for a bit’ usually works. So, if you ask them what they would like to eat later on this afternoon and then what they would like to eat this evening they will happily tell you, and usually wait if they know it’s coming.

4. Prepare for downtime

Even the most hyperactive ADHD kids will want some downtime, so make sure you’ve got plenty of art and craft materials ready for days when they just want to sit at the table and draw or paint. It’s always handy to have some felt tips and some colouring-in books, or something new that will excite the child.

5. Consider buying noise-cancelling headphones

If your ADHD child is very sensitive to noise, consider making sure one of their Christmas presents is a very good set of noise-cancelling headphones. This means that when it all gets too much, they can retreat into their own world.

Buying yourself your own set isn’t a bad idea either. Then when they are at their hyperactive, noisiest best, you can disappear into your own world of peace and relaxing ballads.

6. Factor in some time for you

Whether that is an evening out with friends or a romantic dinner with yo

Here, we share advice and guidance to ensure you get the support you need in the workplace, and can celebrate your unique strengths, as someone with ADHD

Talking about neurodiversity in the workplace may initially feel a little daunting, however building up a successful channel of communication with your employer provides you with support and understanding to succeed in a challenging work environment. But, while it can be hard to adapt to set structures and schedules, it’s important to remember that ADHD brings numerous strengths and refreshing perspectives into your new role.

Starting the conversation about ADHD and your career can be done comprehensively and effectively by covering each of the following topics. It is important to remember that your employer will also benefit from this, as adapting certain things to work to your strengths will improve your productivity and wellbeing. Keeping someone with ADHD engaged and challenged will usually mean results above and beyond expectations.

1. Give a brief overview and bust some stereotypes

Working in customer service for a decade has highlighted to me the lack of training for direct and line managers with regards to neurodiversity and mental health. Therefore, in some cases, a brief overview of ADHD may be necessary.

Prioritise information on symptoms that will affect your day-to-day tasks. Explain the challenges your workplace presents, and what you can put in place to help you succeed. Many people will not associate ADHD with adults, and therefore may need some context and a brief explanation on how it differs from childhood symptoms. Writing a list of things that you’d like to include prior to this discussion is a great way to guarantee you don’t forget anything important, and can aid in feeling less overwhelmed.

2. Explain how your employer can help

Give a clear overview of the adjustments you need to accommodate you, and an explanation of why. Remember, under the UK Equality Act 2010, you are entitled to reasonable adjustments to your workplace.

For example, for people working in retail or customer service settings, this may be a change of task, including switching to something with less customer interaction for a shift, or even a few hours. Small changes to how you work can increase your productivity, and ensure you’re working to the best of your ability while avoiding over/under-stimulation.

Conjuring unique perspectives comes naturally with ADHD, and you may well suggest something that helps the whole team!

3. Share triggers and consequential reactions

Adult ADHD isn’t talked about enough, and is greeted with many misconceptions.

When talking to your employer give examples of common triggers, such as:

• Loud or repetitive noises
• Repetitive tasks over long periods of time

Explain the consequences of ignoring these, such as:

• Anxiety attacks
• Irritability
• Fatigue

Giving on-the-job context like this is the best way to give people the tools to adapt tasks, play to your strengths, and help if you’re having a hard time. Rem

Homework can feel like an impossible struggle for kids with ADHD, but it doesn’t have to be that way…

As a child who grew up with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I know what it’s like to skip homework day after day. I was fortunate to have parents who were very laid back – but, had they been pushy parents, I assure you, I still wouldn’t have got much done.

There’s this feeling, I like to call it the ‘I can’t be bothered’ feeling, which prevails every time I try to concentrate. On the rare occasion when I’d overcome the ‘I can’t be bothered’ feeling (like on the evening before an exam) you can rest assured that it would be back again the following day. On top of this, there are all the other challenges of executive dysfunction such as forgetfulness, working memory, inattention, and time management, which don’t make things any easier.

Many children I work with are so tired when they arrive home from school that they barely have any energy left in the tank. This is common for ADHD-ers, as it usually coincides with when their medication starts to wear off. So, what can you do to make homework easier for kids with ADHD?

How to understand processing modalities

From my experience, there are several strategies that can help. However, it’s important to recognise that each child is different and will be energised depending on their individual strengths and processing modalities, whether it be auditory, kinaesthetic, visual, or tactile. For example, one of my clients does their homework using coloured sharpie pens (visual), some can only complete reading tasks while listening to ‘white noise’ (auditory), while others prefer a ‘POP IT’ toy or Thinking Putty (kinaesthetic).

There’s nothing wrong with applying two items at the same time. One of my students discovered that she focuses better when using a scented diffuser together with an hourglass timer to help with her time management. These are just a few ideas that can make a big difference.

1. Flexibility

As you may well know, ADHD-ers hate being told what to do. That is why it can be so useful to give them a flexible time frame. Give your child ownership by asking when they’d like to complete their homework. Obviously, giving them the entire weekend is too long a window. The homework just won’t get done. However, offering a two-hour timeframe for your child to complete an hour’s worth of work, allows them to approach it in their own way. It also helps the child to psych themselves up for the unwelcome experience. This will make the transition from recreation to homework that little bit easier. If your child struggles to move away from the screen, then other interventions may be necessary.

2. Reward schemes

Many children with ADHD aren’t motivated by the long-term rewards of education. ADHD-ers need something ‘instant’ to look forward to, whether it be screen-time, a tasty treat, a gadget, or a packet of stickers for their collection. An instant reward has the effect of stimulating the brain in the short-term. One child I coach has an arrangement, whereby for each evening of completed homework, they receive 3