Feeling good - ADHD , The emotional rollercoaster.

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 If you are an ADHD family you will know that emotions and managing emotions is something ADHD children really struggle with. 

Up until the 1970's the emotional impulsively was a core feature in understanding ADHD and in diagnosing it. The difficulty that children with ADHD have in controlling anger, frustration, sadness and the quick and obvious outward display of these emotions , is very much, I think, part of ADHD. The child fails to regulate his emotions and struggles to self-calm. 

The 0 to 100 in a split second is what we call it in our home. 

The ADHD child struggles terribly with frustration and impatients. 

I have several, daily examples of this with our boys. This aspect of ADHD is both difficult to parent and extremely painful for me as a mom. I see before me a child who is so deeply saddened by something and who can not cope with that feeling. 

Similarly, when he feels frustrated and or angered he will respond and this response will be irrational and impulsive. 

Ritalin and other meds have and do help to calm the emotions and bring the inner chaos and neurological inability to self-control into some order.

It is this aspect of ADHD that causes children to struggle with friendships. Dr Russel Barkley speaks about this in his talks to parents with children who are ADHD. It is well worth a listen. 

I agree with him that other children lack patience and perseverance with children who are emotionally volatile. This is heart breaking for parents. Our ADHD children often have no friends or their friends lack the insight and ability to help them in the struggle. Understandably. 

Last weekend we had some fun with emotional stuff and our kids. 

I made a sensory bottle filled with glitter and beautiful stuff to look at for our ADHD boy who struggles terribly with impulsive anger and frustration. This was to be a calming bottle. We talked about his struggle together. I gave the bottle to him and he loved it. All the while the others whispered... I think glass was not a good idea mom. Round 2 will be made of plastic. 

:)