Ep #7: ADHD and anger issues in kids

ADHD and anger issues often go hand in hand and dealing with it is a major stress for most parents. In today’s podcast, ADHD Parenting Coach, Siope Kinikini, helps parents understand the real reason behind their child’s anger and gives ADHD strategies for better dealing with it. The three strategies for how to calm a child with ADHD who is in the middle of an angry outburst are, first, remain calm as it will help to deescalate the situation. Second, stay focused. Third, be consistent. Dealing with anger issues is understanding what is happening in your child’s body. The “why” of angry. Anger happens because what you want or hoped for didn’t happen the way you wanted it to happen. It’s important to understand how you arrive at the emotion of anger. This is especially important when dealing with your child with ADHD. Most ADHD children are already working on something that has a level of frustration for them. What do we mean by this? Your child may be already working on sitting still, paying attention, not talking, focusing on what is being said. Things that don’t come naturally to them and so they’re already feeling anxious and frustrated as they’re trying hard to do what’s been asked but it’s hard for them. So when we add another instruction on that, bam, they’re even more frustrated and that frustration often manifests as anger. ADHD and anger issues are manageable if you apply the ADHD strategies learned in this podcast.