Ep. #7 ADHD and anger issues in kids

ADHD and anger issues are manageable if you apply the ADHD strategies taught in podcast #7. For many kids with ADHD, ADHD, and anger issues often go hand-in-hand, and dealing with it is stressful. In the ADHD Smarter Parenting podcast #7, ADHD Parenting Coach, Siope Kinikini, helps parents understand the real reason behind their child’s anger and gives parents proven ADHD strategies for handling their child’s anger.

How to deal with a child with anger issues is something that parents ask as they want to deal with the situation in a way that won’t make it even worse and reduce future episodes of ADHD and aggression.

When dealing with anger issues, it’s essential to understand what is happening in your child’s body and why we get angry. We get mad because what we want or hoped for didn’t happen the way we wanted it to happen. Think about that for a second. Anger stems because someone’s behavior or actions didn’t go how you wanted them to go, and that leads to feelings of frustration.

Understanding anger means understanding how you, or your child, arrived at that emotion. This is especially important with talking to your ADHD child. Most children with ADHD are already working on something that has a level of frustration for them. What do we mean? They may be already working on sitting still, paying attention, not talking, or focusing on what is being said. They’re already feeling anxious and frustrated. They're trying hard to fulfill what we’ve asked them to do, and they’re struggling to do it. When we add another instruction on that, it becomes overwhelming, and they become frustrated, which often manifests as anger.

We may look at the small instruction we gave to them as “no big deal.” To them, it’s actually a “huge deal.” They’re feeling anger/frustration with multiple things. The last instruction you gave just happened to be the instruction that pushed them over the edge.

Understanding this principle will help you teach them about what is happening with their body and how to deal in a more positive way when an expectation isn’t met. Your goal is to help them understand there are consequences of anger. Disappointment happens, but we want them to deal with ADHD anger management in a better way.

Most parents have a hard time breaking down complicated feelings or ideas in a way their child can understand. Especially if they have young children. Breaking things down into small instructions is essential as it keeps them from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated as it makes the task manageable.

How to calm a child with ADHD who is dealing with anger is to remember three things. First, remain calm as it helps to deescalate the situation. Second, stay focused on the original issue. Third, be consistent in the instructions you’re giving.

It is possible to positively deal with ADHD and anger issues by applying the ADHD strategies learned in this podcast.