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An ADHD Holiday
Helping Your Child Cope By Beth Hering
Christmas Day 2004 was not a pretty sight. Like many 6-year-olds, my son was quite wound up after weeks of special events, altered routines and anticipation of Santa's arrival. Add to this that he has primarily hyperactive ADHD, and you can see where this is going.
Zachary bounced around a jam-packed room of presents at my in-laws' house, loudly expressing his dismay whenever someone else's name was called. Later, people scrambled to hold their plates when he nearly took off the tablecloth after finishing his dinner. To top it off, he somehow almost sat on a pie while reaching for a toy that got away in the kitchen.
Christmas 2005 went much smoother. Yes, Zachary was a year older, but it was his parents who were a year wiser.
The holiday season can be challenging for any child. For children with ADHD, the time period can be overwhelming. With some forethought, parents can make the holidays run smoother for everyone.
For us, this meant eliminating prolonged waits something Zachary finds very challenging. We purposely showed up on the late side to the next family Christmas gathering. We may have missed an appetizer or two (our waistlines could afford it anyway), but it was worth not having to deal with an extra hour of Zachary lamenting that it was taking too long to get to presents. As for actually opening presents, we helped my in-laws sort the gifts into piles by recipient. Zachary and the other kids got their gifts first and happily played when it was the adults' turn.
Some other potential triggers for children with ADHD might include the food being served, eagerness to use a new present that isn't ready to go or unhappiness over a gift received. To ensure that there will be at least one food available that your child likes, contact the hostess ahead of time and offer to bring a dish. You may also want to have an emergency stash of crackers, fruits snacks and other kid-friendly items hidden in your purse or in the car to appeal to if needed. Before wrapping presents for your child, consider assembling them, putting in the batteries or at least removing some of the excess packaging. (Those darn little twist ties can take forever.) Encourage other gift-givers to do the same.