6 Tips for Helping Your Child with ADHD Maintain Better Friendships

It’s tough enough for kids to forge lasting friendships. Couple that with having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and it can be even more challenging.

A recent small study published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology finds many children with ADHD can be rejected by peers within even just one day of contact.

“ADHD impairs a child’s perceptions and behavior and that’s bound to impact their ability to make and maintain friendships,” says Dr. Robert Reynolds, clinical psychologist and head of the Connecticut Educational Services in Middletown, Connecticut.

The study allowed each child to invite his or her best friend to the lab where the researchers observed their interactions. The group consisted of 66 boys age 7-13 with ADHD, 21 girls with ADHD and 46 comparison children without ADHD. Eighty-two percent of the children with ADHD were being treated with medication.

Researchers observed that the companion children to the children with ADHD displayed more ADHD symptoms and what they call “oppositional behavior” than compared to the children without ADHD and their friends.

Another interesting observation was that the children with ADHD were twice as likely to break the rules while playing in order to win. In general, the researchers observed that the friendships of children with ADHD were of lower quality and more transient.

“This study is really a red flag that we need to pay closer attention to the social development of children who suffer from ADHD,” said Reynolds.  “Ignoring such issues can lead to a whole host of social and emotional problems as they get older. And remember, most of the children in this study who had ADHD were already on medication, indicating that certainly in the area of social skills, medications have virtually no benefit.”

Reynolds offers these 6 tips to parents for helping your child with ADHD form deeper, lasting friendships:

• Watch your child play with his or her friends and intervene when the play becomes problematic
• Team sports can help children with ADHD develop better collaborative skills so consider signing them up
• Make sure you keep a positive attitude
• Big brother/big sister figures can help as mentor – hearing  advice from someone besides you can be easier to accept
• Encourage cooperative play with your kids
• Encourage your child to get involved in community organizations and clubs

“There are many behavioral interventions that can go a long way toward helping your child with ADHD develop positive and meaningful relationships,” said Reynolds.  “It’s a matter of providing your child with proper guidance and steering them toward the right kinds of corrective experiences.”

Reynolds is also a long-time supporter of non-medicinal treatments for behavior issues. Since 1978, he has used neurofeedback therapy.

“Pills are not the only treatment option available.  Neurofeedback therapy has effectively reduced many of the symptoms of ADHD in countless children,” said Reynolds. 

Neurofeedback therapy is computer-based training that helps children retrain their brains to become more aware of themselves and the needs of others. Through game-like computer programs, neurofeedback therapy helps regulate brainwave activity.

It can help with many kinds of behavioral, attention and learning challenges, including depression, ADHD and bi-polar disorders. For more information about Reynolds’ clinic please visit www.ct-ed.com.