One of the most frustrating concerns for the parent of a child with attention problems is the fact that they can SOMETIMES control their behavior and attention.  Parents often comment that they can play video games for hours but can’t do math or reading homework for “five minutes.”  They believe that if he can pay attention with one thing, he ought to be able to pay attention for everything.  

But that’s not the way it is.  Why?

First let’s consider why the child has ADHD in the first place.  Simply put, for most it’s caused by an underactived prefrontal cortex.   That prefrontal cortex NEEDS stimulation and it feeds off of high stimulation environments, like video games, or music, or sports or even just noise.   When they are in medium to low stimulation environments their brains just don’t get enough “stuff” to rise to the level that keeps them interested and engaged.   In the thinking part of the brain blood flow and electricity determine much about how it works.   Some studies have shown that for the ADHD child, blood flow to the thinking part of the brain is actually reduced when given a concentration task, making them less able to focus and think.  It’s at precisely the time they need more blood that they get less.

The real cause is a disregulated brain.  It’s a brain that can “sometimes” pay attention and sometimes can not.  Sometimes it’s a child who is choosing to not do his homework because he doesn’t “want” to.   Knowing the difference between CAN’T and WON’T is among the most difficult but also the most important task for the parent of an ADHD child.  

So then each parent must decide how they are going to respond to that after they determine if it’s CAN’T or WON’T.    One choice is to blame and pressure the child.  Usually that doesn’t work.  We can punish him or reward him.  ADHD kids often won’t respond to those very well either.   Make him stay until it gets done?   If your child has ADHD you know that can take hours.   Here are some suggestions.

1)    Take a break from the tasks and come back to it in a few minutes.
2)    Break the task into smaller sections so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. 15 minutes may be the most ADHD kids can handle.
3)    Remove distractions of music,  TV or other visual and auditory nature.
4)    Go for a walk or do some exercise.  Exercise increases blood flow to the brain.  
5)    Plan early so there is enough time to complete the projects.   Last minute usually doesn’t work.
6)    Don’t tell them to “try harder.”   It will often make things worse.