ADHD and Teens: Tips for Managing Your ADHD at Home
By Grace Friedman, ADHD Coach
Let’s talk about ADHD at home. ADHD impacts many areas of our lives that go beyond academic performance, making friends, and participating in extracurricular activities. Our ADHD impacts our home life as well! It can be challenging to manage relationships between parents and siblings, share our personal space, and complete chores, responsibilities, and homework that needs to be done in the midst of a busy, chaotic household.
For many of us with ADHD, the combination of time-sensitive school responsibilities, plus the tasks, chores, and other family obligations at home can quickly become overwhelming and hard to manage. While school is highly structured, home is much more free-form. It can be harder to stay on track at home with lots of various activities, noises, and people in the house. Distractions at home are often particularly challenging for us with ADHD. At home, there are unmonitored electronics, siblings and pets making noise, and activities that are easily accessible and definitely more engaging than homework and chores.
A big part of managing your ADHD at home is identifying what you need to be most successful and working alongside your parents to get the support you need. Creating a quiet, distraction-free study spot at home to start and complete your work is a game changer when it comes to managing your ADHD at home.
Wondering how to talk to your parents about creating a distraction-free study spot at home? Here are a few steps that can help facilitate this conversation.
1. Find a time when both you and your parent are free to talk
2. Explain your goal of limiting distractions around the house to support concentration
3. Identify what areas in the house you can use that will be distraction-free
4. Make an agreement with your parent as to how they can help limit distractions
Managing your ADHD, especially at home, is an ongoing process that requires clear communication with parents and siblings, advocating for your needs, and developing grit to stay motivated to succeed, even when faced with challenges.
Eager to learn more about managing your ADHD at home? The Hallowell-Todaro ADHD Center offers individual ADHD coaching, as well as group workshops to strengthen skills and strategies for youth and adults with ADHD.
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