School Refusal

The school year is back in full swing and many students we work with are feeling overwhelmed. Parents want nothing more than to help their children, but often, this isn’t the message their kids hear. What you say and how you say it can make all the difference in how your child feels and acts, so how do you communicate your concerns to them without it turning into an argument?
Sound familiar? Your child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) fidgets and squirms his way through school and homework, but seems laser-focused and motionless sitting in front of the TV watching an action thriller. When a parent or a teacher sees a child who can sit perfectly still in one condition and yet in another they're all over the place, the first thing they say is, “well, they could sit still if they wanted to.”
It’s important to be understanding – even when you don’t get where you child is coming from. As parents, we have all been in the situation where we don’t understand why our child is losing it over something that seems so minor. The same could be said for sometimes not getting it when it comes to what our family or friends are going through.