“For most children, holidays mean fun, rest and activity and can have a positive impact on the child’s development. However, for some children, it may be more difficult to talk about the same effect…” Clinical Psychology Specialist Psk. Müge Leblebicioğlu Arslan provided information.
As every year, we are about to enter a mid-term break period, which we can call a short break period for children and adults, before leaving one more semester behind and saying hello to a new one.
For most children, holidays mean fun, rest and activity and can have a positive impact on the child’s development. However, for some children, it may be more difficult to talk about the same effect. Especially in children who have trouble focusing and sustaining their attention, or who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity, holiday breaks can have a disruptive effect on the child’s academic life, social relationship or home life, in short, on his whole life.
Breaks are very important for children with ADHD!
Inattention, hyperactivity, pretending not to listen, inability to carry out tasks, forgetting things and impulsivity are among the most prominent symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, having all these symptoms alone is not enough to get a diagnosis. At this point, expert evaluation is very important. Because, although it may seem like a lack of attention, a child whose emotional needs are not met by his family or who has separation anxiety may have difficulty focusing on lessons. Therefore, in every activity or concentration, difficulty does not mean a lack of attention. Lack of attention is a consequence. Determining the maintenance factors that cause this result is very important in terms of the child’s bio-psycho-social development. Although ADHD is a disorder with a high genetic transmission, it is not possible to talk about the exact cause. For this reason, it is extremely important to recognize the disorder in the early period rather than prevent it, to inform family members about this disorder and to increase the level of awareness.
Breaks have a significant impact on a child’s mental health. However, here, rather than the holiday itself, how this process is spent plays a big role in terms of mental well-being. Suggestions for families during the holiday period:
- It is extremely important to maintain the existing order and maintain the routines in the school process. Routines have a protective effect in children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, as in every child. Children with ADHD may have difficulty adapting to change. Routines facilitate adaptation, make the child feel safe and have a reducing effect on their symptoms.
- Support your child’s academic skills during the holiday period. For example, you can contact your child’s teachers to identify issues that need support.
- Avoid stigmatizing words that will damage your child’s self-esteem. For example, ‘You are doing it on purpose. You are spoiled. You are lazy.’ All these words like these can affect your child’s mental health in a negative way by making the process that your child has difficulty in coping even more difficult. Instead, support your child’s positive aspects and create environments where they can reveal their potential. For example, if your child likes to paint, put positive emphasis on this feature of him, you can buy him materials he can use or support him to go to the course if he wants.
- Create social activity areas. Social activities help the child to throw away his existing energy, strengthen his social relations, physical and psychological development. Make plans with your child inside or outside the home. Ask her for her opinion by giving her options as she makes the plans. In some cases, create fields that can leave all selections to him. Concretize the activities to be done and write them on a calendar. Highlight the parts you think are important using highlighters. So your child will know when to do what. The concretization process can also be applied in domestic rules.
- Your child, who has difficulty in planning and managing time, may not realize the time they spend in front of the screen. Set limits for screen time. Chat with your child throughout the day. Ask open-ended questions about how he feels or what he does during the day.
- Breaks are a great opportunity to start and continue the assessment, prevention and response process. Unfortunately, most parents ignore this situation. Especially with the closure of schools, false extinction can be seen in children’s symptoms. This can lead to dysfunctional thoughts in families that the situation is getting better or that support is no longer needed. I liken this situation to the stoves that we think are turned off because the fire is not visible. We can continue by assuming that it is closed because there is no fire coming from the furnace whose process has not been completed. Accumulated and untreated symptoms, unfortunately, can erupt with the opening of schools, almost like the explosion of that gas.
It should not be forgotten that the cooperation of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, parents and teachers is extremely important in evaluation and intervention. In addition, testing appropriate for the age and development of the child by psychologists in order to assist and evaluate the diagnosis is very important in terms of early diagnosis and intervention process in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
