EP 37: The 5 C’s of Being a Parent to a Child with ADHD

Annette talks about how to be a great parent of a child with ADHD this week. Her guest is Dr. Sharon Saline, a licensed clinical psychologist, a leading expert on ADHD and the author of the very popular book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew.

Dr. Saline first discusses what ADHD actually is and walks listeners through what it takes to accurately diagnose a person whether they are a child or an adult with ADHD. She says that the symptoms that are used to diagnose a child versus and adult can be different depending on the age. She mentions that ADHD can change over time as we get older.

Dr. Saline talks about how she came up with the title for her book. As she spoke with both children with ADHD and their parents, she realized that not everyone was on the same page and there was a disconnect in many cases. Children she spoke with said that they really wished their parents would meet them where they were in life and try to get a better understanding of ADHD as well as offer more compassion and focus on the positive things they accomplish. But she says that sometimes, honest conversations can lead to chaos.

Dr. Saline goes through her five C’s for being a better parent to a child with ADHD.

The first is self-control and that goes for both the parent and the child with ADHD. Everyone involved needs to know how to better manage feelings.

Compassion is the second on the list and once again, taking into consideration both child and parent. She says it is important to meet your child where they are.

Collaboration is next and involves letting the child have their say in matters they care about. Do not always dictate how things are going to go. They need to be part of the process.

Dr. Saline says consistency is key to parenting a child with ADHD. In short, do what you say.

Her last tip is celebration. We must as parents, celebrate the wins of our “out of the box thinkers.”

Dr Saline shows her expertise in this area and gives listeners some key takeaways at the end of this podcast on ADHD.

You can find Dr. Sharon Saline including a link to her book here: https://drsharonsaline.com/