Russell A. Barkley - 12 Principles for Raising a Child With ADHD

Praise fo r 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD

When my son got his diagnosis, I felt overwhelmed. There is so much ADHD information out there, and not all of it is helpful. I have struggled to really understand my son and how to help himbut this book has changed all that. We are finally rebuilding the connection that I thought was lost forever. Thank you, Dr. Barkley.

Krystle B., Gladstone, Australia

Dr. Barkley dives right into parents most pressing questions and offers practical, science-backed guidance. This book will be at the top of my list to recommend to parents.

Stephen P. Becker, PhD, Division of Behavioral Medicine

and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center

A must read. Dr. Barkleys advice about managing a household with a child with ADHD has reduced stress in every aspect of our lives. He thoughtfully emphasizes the importance of self-care, which many parents underestimate. Dr. Barkleys insights gave us a much better understand-ing of our child, and are thoroughly life changing!

Jennie R., Hoboken, NJ

With compassion and understanding, Barkley gives you realistic, concrete approaches for the challenging process of raising a child with ADHD. The book helps you understand how your childs brain works, why they struggle, and how to help them develop the skills to be successful in life. Highly recommended!

Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, Clinical Director,

Chesapeake Center for ADHD,

Learning and Behavioral Health, Bethesda, Maryland

12 PRINCIPLES FOR RAISING

A CHILD WITH ADHD

Selected Works from Russell A. Barkley

For more information, visit the authors website:

www.russellbarkley.org

Taking Charge of ADHD, Fourth Edition:

The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents

Russell A. Barkley

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD

Russell A. Barkley with Christine M. Benton

Your Defiant Child, Second Edition:

Eight Steps to Better Behavior

Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton

Your Defiant Teen, Second Edition:

10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship

Russell A. Barkley and Arthur L. Robin with Christine M. Benton

Principles for Raising

a Child

with ADHD

RUS S E L L A . B A R K L E Y, P h D

THE GUILFORD PRESS

New York London

Copyright 2021 The Guilford Press

A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.

370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001 www.guilford.com

All rights reserved

The information in this volume is not intended as a substitute for consultation with healthcare professionals. Each individuals health concerns should be evaluated by a qualified professional.

Purchasers of this book have permission to copy the Behavior Report Card (p. 95) and the 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD (p. 176) for personal use or use with clients. These materials may be copied from the book or accessed directly from the publishers website, but may not be stored on or distributed from intranet sites, Internet sites, or file-sharing sites, or made available for resale. No other part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Barkley, Russell A., 1949 author.

Title: 12 principles for raising a child with ADHD / Russell A. Barkley, PhD.

Other titles: Twelve principles for raising a child with ADHD

Description: New York : The Guilford Press, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020028893 | ISBN 9781462544448 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781462542550 (paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Attention-deficit-disordered-childrenFamily relationships. | Parents of attention-deficit-disordered children. | Child rearing.

Classification: LCC RJ506.H9 B366 2021 | DDC 618.92/8589dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028893

For my grandchildren,

the lights and loves of my life:

Claire, Will, Liam, and Craig

CONTENTS

PRINCIPLE 6.

vii

viii Co n t en t s

Purchasers of this book can download and print

enlarged versions of the Behavior Report Card (p. 95) and 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD (p. 176) at www.guilford.com/barkley27-form s for personal use or us e with clients (see copyright page for details).

AUTHORS NOTE

I dentifying details in all of the case illustrations in this book are either thoroughly disguised to protect families privacy or composites of real children Ive known in my clinical practice.

In this book, I alternate between masculine and feminine pronouns when referring to specific individuals. I have made this choice to pro-mote ease of reading as our language continues to evolve and not out of disrespect toward readers who identify with other personal pronouns. I sincerely hope that all will feel included.

ix

PREFACE

T hank you for choosing to read this book. I hope it will serve as an indis-pensable guide as you go about the daily business of caring for and raising your child or teen with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). My goal is to introduce you to the touchstones that Ive found so valuable over almost 50 years of working with parents and their children, to offer a book that youll turn to over and over as you try to do whats best not only for a son or daughter whos dealing with ADHD but also for the rest of your family. Im confident that by adopting the dozen principles in this book youll have fewer and less serious difficulties raising your child, a much greater sense of competence and self-confidence as a parent, greater peace in your family, and a considerably more well-adjusted child or teen with ADHD.

If youre familiar with my best-selling book Taking Charge of ADHD, you may wonder why I decided to write another book for parents on this disorder. After all, the subtitle of that book is The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents, and its now in its fourth edition. The answer is pretty simple: Parents of children with ADHD are pressed for time and for reli-able solutions to everyday challenges. From the hundreds of families to whom Ive provided clinical services, and from feedback on more than 800 lectures, Ive learned that parents need a handful of clear guidelines that will keep them grounded in their intention to raise a happy, healthy child in spite of ADHD. Such guidelines, centered in a solid understand-ing of what theyre dealing with, can equip them with proven practical

xi

xii Preface

solutions when they are struggling with the challenges of having ADHD in the family. Thats what youll find in this book.