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ADHD and the Family
Very frequently, life is difficult for children and adults with ADHD. They often have trouble at school or the office, can't finish homework or an office project, and have social skill problems like trouble making and keeping friends.
For both parents and children, homework can be a battle. A twenty minute assignment can take hours for an ADHD student. Parents frequently hover over their child, redirecting, encouraging, and cajoling. Further frustration ensues the following day when their child forgets to bring the homework assignment to school.
A wife may get frustrated by her husband’s inability to finish projects around the house – he begins ten and finishes none. She fails to understand why he cannot focus long enough to balance the checkbook.
Coping with these frustrations day after day can place a strain on families. The National Institute of Mental Health has said,
“Family conflict can increase. In addition, problems with peers and friendships are often present in children with ADHD. In adolescence, these children are at increased risk for motor vehicle accidents, tobacco use, early pregnancy, and lower educational attainment. When a child receives a diagnosis of ADHD, parents need to think carefully about treatment choices. And when they pursue treatment for their children, families face high out-of-pocket expenses because treatment for ADHD and other mental illnesses is often not covered by insurance policies. School programs to help children with problems often connected to ADHD (social skills and behavior training) are not available in many schools. In addition, not all children with ADHD qualify for special education services. All of this leads to children who do not receive proper and adequate treatment. To overcome these barriers, parents may want to look for school-based programs that have a team approach involving parents, teachers, school psychologists, other mental health specialists, and physicians.”