Summer and ADHD

By Chris Churchill

Life used to be simple. I remember my folks sending me out of the house to play in the morning with the simple instruction to “come home for dinner when the street lights came on”. Of course, the world is different these days. Kids simply don’t have the freedom, opportunity or security to do that anymore. Back then, many families had a parent at home full-time and neighbours looked out for each other. Now, for most families, both parents work, and it’s only by luck that the neighbours are around enough to do more than wave from the driveway on the way to work, hockey, soccer or ballet.

Like it or not, our kids are required to have more structured and organized activities to keep them occupied, especially during the summer months. Nostalgia aside, the interesting thing is that when dealing with a child with ADHD, this new paradigm can either be a benefit or a challenge. It’s all in how you look at it. Read more

Active = Fun!

By Dr. Umesh Jain, B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.(C), D.A.B.P.N., Ph.D., M.Ed.

Surprisingly, ADD children do very well in the great outdoors. It is as if the open space and the multitude of possibilities keeps their brain and body busy. So here are some suggestions for children and the sanity of parents when they have to consider the summer and what to do:

1) Get them into a camp. There are specialized camps for ADHD children and the kids who are higher functioning should be encouraged to go to any overnight or day camp. The former is preferred as it forces them to deal with conflict issues. Camp councilors are generally familiar with the issues and know the solution is to keep the kids busy.

2) Find a community pool. ADDer kids hate a shower but love a pool or a beach. They can spend the entire day there and for some reason, they never get pruned enough to come out. Actually getting them into an aquatic camp (as in a) is even better. In a pinch, a garden house or some Super-soakers can be a temporary relief.

3) Grandparents and close relatives are an excellent respite for the busy and stressed parent. The advantage of these close family members is the likelihood that the child will not have that many expectations and they will likely be spoiled. Good for them and good for you.

4) If they are teenagers, enlist them into a job of any sort as soon as they are capable. They will enjoy the responsibility and love the money they will make. One of the best and easiest jobs is to go around to houses in their neighborhood and help people with their computer problems for a small fee. Or how about them entertaining small children at birthday parties or being a dog walker.

5) Finding a “Tech Camp” is a bit expensive but an easy diversion for an ADD child. It is good for them to learn how to build a website or work on interesting technical problems.

Plan as early as you can. Popular camps fill up often by February but if you have missed this year, at least flag them for next year. Remember camp fees can be considered deductable so keep your receipts. Even tutoring during the summer, as distasteful to an ADDer as this is, can be considered a deduction. Ask your accountant.