telling child | ADHD Information

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Does anyone haave any advice on how to explain ADHD to my son(8)?  Everything is so technical and he was just diagnosed I'm not even sure I get it yet.  But I think if I start talking about some of the hyperactivity, impulsivity he's been expressing, knowing why he does it, he might be able to help himself better.  Or, that might backfire and he'll use it as an excuse(not sure yet).  I wonder about this myself.  My personal take on it is to de-mystify it as much as possible.  I have some kids books.  Perhaps age-appropriate books for him would be a good intro.  Also, we have lots of ADHD-diagnosed kids in our neighborhood, so I can point out that all those other kids are living with it too, and also take medication.  So far, that is what I have done.

I found a great book on amazon - "Shelly the hyperactive turtle" - by Deborah Moss and Carol Shwartz.  It's recommended as a primer for explaining ADHD to young kids.

I have used "Shelly the hyperactive turtle" and "Putting on the Brakes" with my daughter.  The second one also has a workbook that is good for children 8 years and up.  It covers the symptoms, and things that they can do on their own to control them.I told my almost eight-year-old when we did his first drug trial that there is a part of his brain that wants to be asleep when the rest of him is awake and that without even knowing it, he's trying to wake it up by doing all those things that keep him from paying attention. I told him that it's just the way he was made and that there are doctors trying to find better ways of making sure his whole brain is awake or asleep at the same time and that lots of kids have it, too.  He knows several at school, so he was okay with this.  He's all about being special!  Thank You for the advice...I know have a stepping stone... Hi i told my son when he was first dx at age 5, he is now 12. I just explained it how it was, and how he is lucky he has medicine to help him control it as his dad, and i both didn't have medicine to help us. He was OK with it. There was also a great kids chapter book about a boy with it, but i honestly can't remember the name, i just remember he played baseball. There is a series of kids books, about a boy who has adhd. I just can't remember if the author is "Joey Pigza" or if it's boy's name and Joey Pigza is in the title. It's been a long time since I read the book to my kids. It's actully pretty funny, and it help my son understand his condition a little bit better.