How to help adhd child with impulse control

5 Strategies for Dealing with ADHD and Impulse Control in Your Child– FastBraiin

by Jeremy Smith| Jun 29, 2021

5 Strategies for Dealing with ADHD and Impulse Control in Your Child

in Blog

ADHD and impulse control: where does one even begin? If you are a parent with a child with ADHD, you most likely have more stories than you can count regarding ADHD and impulse control in your child.

That time at the birthday party that your son grabbed a fistful of the cake before it had even been cut. That dread you experience every time you have to walk near a busy intersection wondering if your child will make a bolt to cross the street.

A lack of impulse control is a hallmark symptom of ADHD. Children with ADHD tend to react to stimuli and experiences without pausing to think. How, as a parent, can you help them build their impulse control? Let’s look at five strategies that will hopefully lower your stress and build your child’s impulse control.

#1 Make Sure You Understand the Behavior

One of the greatest barriers to addressing ADHD and impulse control is not properly understanding a lack of impulse in your child. Your ADHD child does not necessarily want to run in front of a car when they see the ice cream truck. Rather, they just know they want ice cream. They react first instead of think first.

If your immediate response to their impulsive behavior is just to punish, you might be missing an opportunity to instruct. Help yourself by understanding their lack of impulse not as intentional disobedience but rather as a limited processing reaction. Consult quality resources to understand your child’s trouble with impulsivity.

#2 Take Notice of Patterns and Learn From Them

When it comes to ADHD and impulse control, we tend to think each instance is an isolated act. The reality is that children and people in general tend to follow patterns of behavior.

If you take notice and track the times that your child tends to be impulsive, there’s a good probability that you will start to see a pattern. Recognizing patterns provides you another tool as a parent to help your child manage their symptoms. If you know when and in what circumstances low impulse control is more of a problem, you can be more ready to intervene faster and with better results.

#3 Praise Your Child When They Do Right

Many people who write on impulse control strategies for work and home will recommend being clear in your responses to your child. An important distinction to note here is that you need to be clear and consistent both when they do right as well as when they do wrong. If you only respond negatively to your child when they are in the wrong, you are only half communicating with them.

Part of instruction and learning involves acknowledging and praising right behaviors. When your child responds to situations with better impulse control be sure to praise them. Be consistent in your praise. Always tell them when they behave well, and they will learn from it.

#4 Use Discipline Effectively

Discipline should never be viewed as a negative experience. Discipline should be understood as a constructive form of instruction. With that being said, there still are do and don’ts of disciplining ADHD children that you should understand.

With discipline, you should always be firm and consistent. Never think of discipline as merely punishment. Rather, always be sure that you communicate clearly the negative behavior and apply consistent discipline for similar actions. With ADHD and impulse control, address the action as soon as it happens. Never wait and address it later because your child might not relate the discipline to the action.

Also, remember to control your anger. Your child might behave impulsively, but it doesn’t help anything when you impulsively respond in anger, too. Be sure to use calm, collected ways to apply discipline and address negative behavior.

#5 Find Fun Creative Ways to Deal with ADHD and Impulse Control

Finding a solution to success rarely starts with all work and no play. Raising a child and finding the right behavioral modification strategies should never start or end there either. A large part of being a kid should involve having fun. Why can’t raising a child be the same way?

Don’t think of managing your child’s ADHD as a part time job. Think of it more of a challenge to be experienced that can actually be enjoyed. When it comes to impulse control, why not try a game out? For instance, this article recommends one game designed to treat poor impulse control.

This is just idea, though. Be creative. Think up some of your own. There’s no reason ADHD help for parents shouldn’t start with fun.

Tags:ADHD Tips & StrategiesLiving With ADHD

ADHD Impulse Control Strategies for Students with ADD

The problem:

Children with ADHD are often labeled unruly or aggressive because of their impulsive physical and social interactions. Even though these children can be caring and sensitive, their good qualities are often overshadowed by their poor impulse control.

The reason:

Children with ADHD act before they think, often unable to control their initial response to a situation. The ability to “self-regulate” is compromised; they can’t modify their behavior with future consequences in mind. Some studies show that differences in the brain in those who have ADHD are partly responsible for this symptom.

The obstacles:

Many children with ADHD seem to spend their lives in time-out, grounded, or in trouble for what they say and do. The lack of impulse control is perhaps the most difficult symptom of ADHD to modify. It takes years of patience and persistence to successfully turn this around.

Impulse Control Solutions in the Classroom

Posting classroom rules and routines lets children know what’s expected of them, and also serves as a visual reminder for those with ADD who act before they think.

Tape “behavior cards” to their desks. Some children benefit from seeing rules like “Raise hands before speaking,” etc. posted directly on their desks. If privacy is an issue, tape the cards to a sheet of paper that remains on the desk during class but can be stored inside the desk when necessary.
Post the day’s schedule. Write the schedule on the blackboard and erase items as they are completed. This gives ADHD students a sense of control about their day. Alert the class in advance about any revisions to the daily routine.
Prepare kids for transitions. To avoid meltdowns when moving between activities (another stress point), give the class a five-minute warning, then a two-minute warning of a transition, so that ADHD kids have adequate time to stop one activity and start another.

[Free Download: Solving Challenges in the Classroom]

Be prepared for impulsive reactions. In situations where a lack of structure or another circumstance might set off an impulsive reaction, have a plan ready to help ADHD kids keep their impulses in check. Perhaps the ADHD student can be given a special job, such as “monitor” or “coach,” to help him stay focused on self-control.
Post expected behavior for younger children. Establish the good behaviors you expect from your young students and post them in the classroom. These can be as simple as: “Respect Others,” “Talk Nicely,” “Use an Indoor Voice”. Posting them in the classroom serves as visual reminder to ADHD students.
Younger children often respond to a “point system.” This is a system in which they earn pennies or stickers for a positive target behavior. They can redeem their points at the end of the week for a prize.

Impulse Control Solutions at Home & School

Discipline can and should be used in certain situations. While ADHD is an explanation for bad behavior, it is never an excuse. ADHD may explain why Johnny hit Billy, but ADHD did not make him do it. Children with ADHD need to understand their responsibility to control themselves.
Discipline should be immediate, short, and swift. Delayed consequences, such as detention, don’t work for those with difficulty anticipating future outcomes. Consequences must be instantaneous: If he pushes another child on the playground, recess is suspended for 10 minutes.
Provide positive feedback too. Be sure to also offer immediate, positive feedback and attention when kids with ADD behave well. Catch them doing something good. Specifically state what they are doing well, such as waiting their turn.

[“I Know! I Know!” Self-Control Solutions for Kids Who Blurt Out]

Impulse Control Solutions at Home

Children with ADHD have difficulty telling right and wrong, so parents must be specific, stating clear, consistent expectations and consequences. Telling your child to “be good” is too vague to address behavioral problems. Instead, be explicit: “When we go into the store, do not touch, just look with your eyes.” “At the playground, wait in line for the slide, and don’t push.” Other strategies to try:

Be proactive in your approach to discipline. Respond to positive and negative behaviors equally. Recognize and remark on the behavior, then respond to positive actions with praise, attention, and rewards or immediately discipline negative actions.
Hold your child accountable. Making your child understand what he did wrong is essential in molding a responsible adult. However, delayed punishment may prevent a child from understanding its relationship to the misbehavior. Punishment must come soon after the misbehavior.
Let the punishment fit the crime. Hitting calls for an immediate time out. Dinnertime tantrums can mean dismissal from the table without dessert. Keep punishments brief and restrained, but let them communicate to your child that he’s responsible for controlling his behavior.
Let minor misbehaviors slide. If your child spills the milk because he’s pouring it carelessly or hurriedly, talk to him about the importance of moving more slowly, help him clean the mess, and move on. Every misstep doesn’t warrant significant consequences.

[Parent-to-Parent: How Do You Prevent ADHD Impulsiveness in Your Child?]

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How to help an impulsive child gain self-control

How often have you seen children act without thinking? There are probably enough. Most children occasionally act impulsively or say something before they can stop. They may blurt out something inappropriate or run out onto the road for the ball without looking around.

But what about children who seem to have no "mental brakes" at all? If your child often interrupts people, grabs other people's things without asking, and frequently puts himself at risk, you may be wondering why this is happening. Is it about immaturity? Inability to assess the situation? Or is there something else behind the impulsive behavior?

Learn about impulsivity and how you can help your child learn better self-control.

Impulsive behavior you can observe

What is impulsivity? The normal behavior of a child involves the manifestation of impulsivity from time to time. However, when this happens frequently, it is impossible to ignore the obvious: the child has self-control problems.

Impulsivity manifests itself differently in different children. And behavior can change as the child grows. Being impulsive, the child may:

Acting stupid and inappropriate to get attention
Have difficulty following the rules consistently
Being aggressive towards other children (young children often fight, kick and bite)
Do not wait your turn in games and conversations
Grabbing other people's things or pushing in line
Overreacting to frustration, frustration, mistakes and criticism
Strive to be the last to speak in an argument and always be first in line
Not understanding how his words and behavior affect other people
Not understanding the consequences of one's actions
Take more risks in relationships, sex, driving, taking alcohol and drugs

Impulsive behavior can often make children appear younger. For example, an 8-year-old child may have self-control that is more likely to be expected from a 5-year-old child. Thus, you can observe behavior that, it would seem, should have stopped a long time ago.

What can cause children to be impulsive

Children can be impulsive for many reasons. Sometimes it really is a matter of maturity. Not all children develop at the same rate, and some simply take longer than others to learn to think and control their actions.

Lack of sleep can be another cause of impulsive behavior, as well as stress and frustration. When something bad happens to a child at school or in everyday life, impulsive behavior can be a response to stress. Young children cannot always find words to describe how they feel, and they may not even know why they are tense or upset.

Some children may be impulsive due to one of the disorders. One of the most common causes of frequent impulsive behavior is ADHD. Many children and adults suffer from ADHD, and the disorder is often inherited. Therefore, you may see some of these behaviors in other close family members.

ADHD can make it difficult for a person to control strong feelings, such as anger. For example, when children with ADHD get angry, they may start kicking furniture or saying something mean instead of experiencing their anger in a more restrained way.

There are also mental disorders, such as phobias and affective disorders, that can lead to impulsive behavior in a child.

It is easy to guess what is behind a child's impulsive behavior. For example, if a child makes a rude remark, people may think that the remark was intentionally offensive. But in many cases, such as ADHD, children are not being rude or aggressive on purpose. However, they need more help and practice to learn to slow down and think before they act.

No matter what is causing your child's impulsiveness, there are ways to help him improve self-control and gain self-confidence. And with more control over their actions, children can feel more "mature", which will increase their self-esteem.

How to help your child deal with impulsivity

Even if you're not sure why your child is acting impulsively, you can still work on strengthening his skills at home. Explore strategies for:

Improvements in self-monitoring
Development of coping skills
How to react when your child is upset

If you suspect your child has ADHD, learn what to do next. If your child's behavior seems completely "out of control" and you're not sure why, find out what to do about it - see a child psychologist or behavioral specialist.

Struggling with impulsivity or any other behavior problem can affect the way a child perceives himself. Explain to your child that many people experience these problems, and that self-control can improve over time by working on themselves. Talk to your child about their strengths and don't forget to celebrate even small progress as your child works on gaining self-control.

What's next?

There are many ways to help your child. To start, start writing down your observations about how the child behaves at home. This way you can get a better idea of why your child may be having difficulty with self-control.

For example, if you think your child's impulsiveness is due to the fact that he is upset, try to monitor his behavior. This way you will be able to detect patterns in its behavior over time.

If you find a pattern that has been going on for a while, you might want to discuss it with someone. Your child's teacher or doctor can provide observations and help with helpful suggestions.

Modern neurological techniques such as Fast ForWord can also help you manage your child's impulsivity. Classes according to this technique not only correct impulsivity, but also develop concentration, memory, information processing, reduce hyperactivity - all these skills, as a rule, are urgently needed to develop children with ADD / ADHD.

Look at the interim results of the CDIG correction using FAST Forword:

Each column displays the student’s condition by key skills:

A - attention

t - the consistency of actions

I - impulsiveness

H - hyperreactivity

How to help a child with ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral developmental disorder. How as a rule, it is diagnosed in children. Child with ADHD has difficulty concentrating, he becomes hyperactive, poorly controlled and impulsive. Unfortunately, many parents and educators in schools do not take this disorder seriously and associate child's behavior with pampering and bad manners. Children with ADHD are often subjected to pressure from both parents and from other children. All this is fertile ground for further mental illness and the formation of criminogenic behavior in adulthood. How to determine in time Does your child need professional help? What are the reasons for the appearance syndrome? And what if your child is diagnosed with ADHD? Says the leading researcher of the Ural Federal University Sergey Kiselev.

Sergey Yurievich Kiselev – Candidate in Psychology, Leading Researcher at the Ural Federal University, Head of the Laboratory of the Brain and neurocognitive development.

— I remember how 13 years ago my cousin brother was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity. Then in Russia, almost no one knew about it. diagnosis. Tell us what is known today?

In fact, we still don't fully know what it is. disorder. There is a definition in the International classification of diseases, where deficiency syndrome is separately distinguished attention and separately - hyperactivity syndrome. However, often we We are faced with two sets of symptoms. Such a manifestation commonly referred to as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.

However, there is still no generally accepted concept of causes of ADHD, about the mechanisms that cause syndrome symptoms. We have at our disposal only a number of different models that attempt to explain externally observed symptoms. I view this disorder from a neuropsychological point of view in within the framework of the Lurie approach. Russian psychologist and neuropathologist Alexander Romanovich Luria created a national neuropsychology, which is known throughout the world precisely as Luriev neuropsychology. His followers and students developed their own concept of the nature of behavioral disorders and mental health in children with ADHD.

It's not just about attention problems or hyperactivity. These children have a range of symptoms associated with a disorder. different mental functions, for example, they often have specific memory impairment, increased exhaustion, difficulties of inclusion in tasks, activity fluctuation, etc. Before modern specialists are faced with the task of explaining the causes and mechanisms of this set of symptoms.

Why is it important? If we know the mechanism of disorder, then we can more effectively help children deal with them. This will allow us to correctly build a correction for the development of children with ADHD diagnosis, which will work with the mechanism of the disorder, not outward symptoms. Suppression or withdrawal of symptoms often does not mean that we act on the mechanism of disorder, Therefore, such a correction has a short-term effect. For example, if a person has a cough that is associated with tuberculosis, then cough pills, of course, will not cure this disease. IN In this case, it is necessary to treat tuberculosis, then cough, as one of the symptoms of this disease will disappear. Also with behavioral disorders. It is necessary to influence the mechanism of the disorder, and not "remove symptoms".

Unfortunately, there is still no generally accepted understanding what the variants of ADHD might be. More likely, There are different kinds and types of this syndrome. For example, modern research shows that under such a disorder How does ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) fall under the plethora of different variants of this disorder, including Asperger's syndrome, Kanner syndrome, RDA (early childhood autism), etc. It is obvious that ADHD also includes different varieties.

It is also important to understand that there are individual differences course of this disease.

Professionals should not just diagnose ADHD, thereby putting a label on the child. They must clearly understand which variant of ADHD you need to work with in a particular situation. It is necessary to understand the individual characteristics of the course of ADHD every child.

One of the serious tasks of modern child neuropsychology and neurology — development of an algorithm for helping children with ADHD, taking into account type of disorder, age, gender, individual and typological features of the child.

Describe key symptoms that may indicate ADHD in its early stages?

- If we talk about the most rude version of ADHD, then there is a number of basic sets of symptoms.

The first set of symptoms is associated with behavioral characteristics. One of the key symptoms is increased exhaustion. Such children as a rule, they cannot engage in any one activity for a long time. At school, for example, children with ADHD cannot sit still 40 minutes of the lesson, listen to the teacher, complete assignments. They are fast exhausted and switched to other activities. Exhaustibility this kind of thing greatly interferes with successful learning, and in a broader sense, effectively adapt to the world.

The second key symptom is related to the inability to turn on quickly. into a certain activity. A simple example: the beginning of the lesson after change. The typical child quickly enters the appropriate learning activity pace of activity, begins to listen to the teacher, complete study assignments. A child with ADHD cannot change quickly level of brain activity. At recess, when he ran, jumped, played with other children, he had increased activity, but for it is not suitable for learning activities. Enhanced level brain activity can not decrease to a suitable level for educational activity. Hence the serious problems with success learning, frequent comments from the teacher, etc.

The third symptom manifests itself in the form of peculiar waves of activity. At in such children, there is an effect of either increased activity, or its sharp decline. Similar undulating activity also manifests itself in school during the lesson. Against the backdrop of these fluctuations in activity, a specific effect occurs - at the peaks hyper- and hypoactivity children with ADHD are not successful in performing educational tasks. At such moments, their brain activity is not corresponds to learning activities. But when for a short period of time, their brain activity stabilizes and enters agreement with learning activities, they easily respond to teacher's questions, can solve a difficult problem, etc.

That is why many teachers notice that children with ADHD often disobedient, chaotic, but at the same time they have a normal intelligence. Indeed, the cognitive resources of such children are often good enough. And against the background of an optimal level of activity brain they realize them to the maximum. When the activity level does not correspond to educational activities, they, of course, show poor results.

In fact, each of us has waves of activity. During We go through periods of growth and decline every day. This characterizes normal feature of our nervous system. She demands period of rest, rest and activity. But in children with ADHD, this feature manifests itself in a hypertrophied form. Waves activities change more often and more noticeably.

The fourth symptom is hyperactivity, which manifests itself in the form increased motor activity, restlessness, the number of unnecessary movements, speech incontinence, etc. There is such a thing as synkinesis - involuntary extra movements during the performance of some activity or motor activity. For example, a child writes something in notebooks, and at this time his tongue moves, his shoulders move or legs move.

According to such key symptoms in the behavior of the child, specialists identify the presence of attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.

Although there are situations when the diagnosis is made when the presence of only one of these symptoms. And this is wrong. For example, increased exhaustion may not be in the context of ADHD, and manifest as a result of dystonia or another disease. Therefore, it must be clearly understood that ADHD is always set of symptoms.

In addition to the group of behavioral symptoms, there are a number of secondary manifestations. Children with ADHD often have cognitive Problems. For example, they do not solve problems well against the background of fluctuations. activity. An experienced diagnostician will immediately understand that the reason lies not in the cognitive abilities of the child, and in the presence of increased exhaustion during the task. Therefore, often such children, to Unfortunately, many unnecessary symptoms are attributed. In this case, you need clearly distinguish between primary and secondary symptoms.

Another interesting phenomenon has to do with memory. Often in children with ADHD there is an increased erasure of traces of memory in conditions interference, that is, interfering activity. Like this shows up? Imagine that you have to remember two text. First you read and, as you think, remember the first text. Then you are given a second text. Memorizing the second material, you forget the first one. This is a natural feature of our memory. But children with ADHD this manifests itself in an abnormal form. For example, we ask the child to remember first the first 3 words, and then the second 3 words. He repeats the second group of words clearly, but the first 3 do not can remember. Similar memory problems also interfere with children's educational activity.

In addition, these children have problems with voluntary control. Within the framework of the Luriev model for arbitrary control answers the so-called "third functional block in operation brain."

— Tell us more about this model.

— According to Luriev's model, there are three blocks of the brain. First functional block is responsible for the level of brain activity. Second the block is cognitive. It is associated with processing, perception and remembering information coming from the outside world. Third the block is called the “programming, regulation and control block for the course of mental activity.

Children with ADHD often have secondary developmental delays. frontal cortex. This leads to derivative control problems and derived attention. For example, these children cannot focus on the task, can't control their behavior. This symptomatology of ADHD is especially pronounced in preschool children. It is clear that due to age the level of derivative control in these children is very immature. IN older age, closer to 9 years, in children with ADHD due to improvement of voluntary control over one's behavior occurs a decrease in the symptoms of this disorder, that is, it begins have a compensatory effect. However, ADHD does not go away, but only goes into a latent (hidden) form.

And, finally, another secondary symptom is connected precisely with involuntary attention disorder. It's a symptom for the most part. refers to biology and the so-called orienting reflex for new incentives. When we hear an unexpected loud sound, we involuntarily pay attention to the source of the sound. This one is pure biological response allows us to respond effectively to potentially dangerous external influences.

Children with ADHD have a peculiar heightened sensitivity to all external influences, for example, to various soft sounds. A child with ADHD has an effect orienting reflex to both strong stimuli and weak. Outwardly, this manifests itself as increased distractibility. child. It is important to note that the child is not in the least is to blame - it is the indicative reflexes.

Imagine that you are walking through a forest at night. Your nervous system is this situation will become very sensitive. You will pay attention to any rustles and sounds. However, under normal conditions, when there is no danger, we react only to strong incentives. A child with ADHD constantly feels like he or she is is, figuratively speaking, in such a "dark and terrible forest." This leads to big problems at school, in communication with teachers and classmates.

So the symptoms of ADHD are quite complex and complex. To understand how a child with ADHD feels, imagine this situation. You are at the railway station, around various events are unfolding, many sounds, people flash before you, you are pushed, etc. And in these conditions you are offered to solve some problem. It is clear that you everything will be distracting and you will not be able to quickly and efficiently To solve the task. Of course, if you were asked to solve the same task at home in a calm environment, then you would have coped with it much faster. So, a child with ADHD seems to be all the time is in the situation of a railway station where its all distracts.

In addition, orienting reflexes are accompanied by an increase child's anxiety.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that others react to the behavior of these children is inappropriate. Teachers shout at them parents, peers. Children with ADHD are under severe pressure from the outside world. And that just makes them bigger. anxiety.

These kids are really hard. In life they are constantly face adaptation problems, even when they become adults. With age, the syndrome does not disappear anywhere. He only passes into a latent form, in which external symptoms do not appear clearly, but at the same time it is difficult for such a person concentrate on some work, he is overcome by a swarm of thoughts, he constantly distracted by various external and internal events.

— Are the causes of the syndrome known in children?

Almost all behavioral disorders in children are related to genetics. However, we cannot say for sure whether a child with genetic predisposition will form ADHD. The thing is, that any phenotypic trait, including behavior, develops under the influence of two factors - genotype and environment. IN certain environmental conditions, a genetic predisposition to ADHD can lead to the development of this disorder, and in others conditions are not.

As risk factors that may lead to the development Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is traditionally referred to as birth trauma, hypoxia during childbirth, prematurity. However not always these factors lead to the development of ADHD. Especially if you have the child is not genetically predisposed to it disorder.

ADHD is always associated with a combination of genetic factors. predisposition and external adverse influences, especially in the first year of life. At this time, actively formed mechanism of neurodynamics in the brain, and external risk factors may lead to the development of this disorder. For example, emotional negative experiences of the child associated with the absence of the mother, may be such a risk factor.

In addition, children in the first year of life should develop in conditions of adequate sensory load. Level violation sensory information leads to adverse effects on reticular formation of the brain, which can lead to impaired neurodynamics and formation of ADHD.

- If you do not pay due attention to the disorder, to what could this lead to in the future?

- Imagine the world in which a child with deficiency syndrome lives attention and hyperactivity. At school, he most often does not succeed, on he is pressured by teachers, parents. This kid is trying to defend himself. often due to aggressive reactions. This, after all, may escalate into criminal behavior. And increased anxiety further may provoke the development of serious mental diseases, such as pathological depression. That is, at such children are at risk of developing adverse scenarios in life.

Therefore, it is necessary to treat them correctly already in the early childhood, to build the right atmosphere around such children, adequately respond to the manifestation of certain features, be more tolerant of them. This will reduce the risk development of deviant behavior.

— What practices are used to help such children? Are there any medications?

- If we talk about attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity in its gross form, it is necessary here comprehensive support. It includes three elements intervention.

First, medical support is needed, especially when severe form of ADHD.

The second element is behavioral modification. There are many different techniques. But one of the most effective has to do with learning the so-called deep diaphragmatic breathing. Case is that the reticular formation, which is responsible for the general the level of activity of our brain, is sensitive to the lack of oxygen. Each of us has experienced severe exhaustion and inefficient work when in a stuffy room. If we improve the supply of oxygen to the reticular formation, the brain will work better. In a child with ADHD, breathing is often irregular and shallow. This impairs the supply of oxygen to the brain. situation can be improved if the child is taught the technique of correct diaphragmatic breathing.

By the way, children with ADHD are well helped by sports where deep breathing is practiced, for example, swimming. Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic swimming champion, is also in actually suffered from ADHD. Phelps dealt with this disorder thanks in large part to swimming.

Stories like these inspire parents who reach out to me. for advice on ADHD. Such children are helped not only swimming, and any other sport where breathing plays an important role - kayaking, canoeing, skiing, running and other rhythmic and aerobic sports. Proper breathing brought to automatism is one of the most important helpers for children with ADHD.

The third direction is aimed at working with the family. This is about family therapy and creating the right atmosphere in which he lives child. As a rule, children with ADHD show inadequate forms of behavior from the point of view of the parents themselves. Moms, dads, grandmothers, brothers and sisters can be aggressive, punish child for inappropriate behavior. And this, as I said above, only exacerbates the already problematic anxiety in these children. Therefore, it is important that within the family, a child with ADHD develops harmonious and tolerant relationships. Under these conditions, above the probability that he will form a mechanism of arbitrary regulation and control, and he will gradually get rid of bright manifestations of ADHD symptoms.

The most unfavorable parenting strategy that leads to aggravation of ADHD symptoms - this is an authoritarian upbringing. At preschool age, it gives rise to a child increased infantilism, shifting responsibility to adult. A mature parenting strategy is to mother gradually transferred responsibility to the child in conditions joint activities.

- Tell us what you're working on Today?

— Our laboratory of brain and neurocognitive development operates in several directions. One of the important areas of research employees of our laboratory is associated with the influence parent-child interaction on the development of young children and preschool age. We're trying to figure out what strategies and styles upbringing has the most beneficial effect on the development of the child, and which ones can increase the risk of developing various disorders, for example, ADHD.

Another important area is devoted to the study of digitalization, influence of virtual space and computer addiction on children development. In the international classification of diseases has already been introduced diagnosis called digital addiction or digital addiction. Unfortunately, this is how the modern environment works - it provokes a situation in which the child is immersed early in the virtual space and becomes dependent on it. Some studies show that the child's early interaction with digital environment negatively affects the development of many basic brain mechanisms. It is clear that digitalization is a reality, from which is now nowhere to go. However, it is very important to correctly to introduce the child to the digital environment in a timely manner, to adapt him to this new reality.

The third aspect of research is devoted to the formation of a unified system diagnosis of preschool children, which in Russia so far No. Unfortunately, we do not have a generally accepted standard for which we can assess the development of children at preschool age, in order to timely detect atypical manifestations and the risk of deviant behavior. The fact is that preschool age is a period in which during which most of the basic brain cells are formed mechanisms. Therefore, any mistakes are fraught with serious consequences. in future. We must learn to quickly identify the causes deviant behavior and deviant development of children, which will basis for the development of effective methods of correction. Necessary time to change the environment of a child with the risk of developing deviant behavior, adjust the parameters of its development in order to mitigate the risks of various disorders. That's why we need a unified system of sensitive diagnostics that will allow to identify not only gross violations in development, but also minimal deviations in order to help the child in time.

Preschool age is a very important period in development, because the child's brain is sensitive both to adverse external influences as well as favorable ones. Quickly noticing the deviation the specialist can change the child's environment, which will lead to to the rapid restoration of development mechanisms.

Therefore, at this age it is so important to create for the child the most favorable environment for the development of basic brain mechanisms.

Today, unfortunately, many parents focus on the formation of school skills in preschool age - reading, letters, bills. It is not right. So the parents ahead of events. Figuratively speaking, they build the roof of the house, not completing the foundation and walls. We must strictly follow a certain sequence of brain development, take into account individual characteristics of the child, including psychological.

The basic mechanisms of the brain must be formed in preschool age with the help of a variety of motor activities: gymnastics, dancing, sports, drawing, classes music and so on. And only then, when the foundation has been created, can it is easy to switch to the formation of a variety of school skills - letters, readings, bills, etc.

Today, together with Tomsk State University, we we are working on creating a unified diagnostic system that is easy to fit into the system of preschool education. It is necessary that she allowed to effectively identify risks at an early stage and gave the ability to quickly correct the development of the child.

— What advice would you give to parents whose children Have you been diagnosed with ADHD?

- Unfortunately, sometimes it happens that a child is diagnosed ADHD, but he doesn't really have that syndrome. I often I am facing this kind of overdiagnosis.

Therefore, it is important not to rely on the opinion of only one specialist. It is necessary to re-diagnose with another doctor, to make sure if the child really has a syndrome attention deficit and hyperactivity.

If the syndrome is confirmed by at least two specialists, then the child comprehensive support is required.