How To Motivate A Teenager With ADHD -Complete Guide

ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a common but treatable neurological condition that can affect kids and adults. ADHD is a lifelong condition in which people have trouble paying attention, controlling their behavior and staying focused on tasks. It can make it difficult for a teen to do well in school and be successful at home or at work. In this article we’ll tell you how to motivate a teenager with adhd. 

What Is ADHD?

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 3-5% of children. It’s characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that present as problems in school, at home, and/or with peers.

The symptoms usually appear before age seven and can persist into adulthood. If you have a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD (or suspect they may have it), there are some things you can do to help them manage their symptoms so they can be more productive at school and home.

7 Tips To Motivate A Teenager With ADHD

1. Help Your Teenager Find Activities And Topics They Find Highly Rewarding

The second thing you can do is help your teenager find activities and topics they find highly rewarding. Rewards don’t have to be fun; they just have to be meaningful.

For example, if your teenager loves playing video games and doing math problems, then maybe one of those tasks would make a good reward for them. If you’re not sure what rewards might motivate your teen with ADHD, ask him or her what he or she finds most enjoyable in life–and then see if there’s something else he/she could do instead that would provide a similar feeling but also include an element of accomplishment (like completing tasks on time).

2. Help Your Teen Spend More Time In Supportive Environments

Spend time with friends who are supportive. Find activities that you enjoy. Find a mentor, or even just someone to talk to about your struggles as a parent and teenager.

Get involved in a sport or hobby that gives you a break from the daily grind of school and homework, while also providing an opportunity for achievement and success–especially if this is something your teen has been wanting to do for years!

3. Set Reasonable Expectations Using The Baby Steps Rule

The baby steps rule is a way of setting expectations and rewarding your teen for completing them. It’s based on the principle that it’s better to accomplish little goals than no goals at all, so you should break down larger tasks into smaller ones, then reward your teen when he or she completes each step.

For example, if your child wants to start an after-school job but has never held one before, a good place to start might be with researching different jobs and companies in the area where he lives. 

Once he finds one that seems promising (and fits his interests), set up an interview with the manager there; this would be another baby step–a small victory along the way toward finding something more permanent later on. 

Then once he gets hired by this particular company as a cashier or sales associate (another small win!), make sure he keeps going back until the manager agrees that she’ll give him regular shifts during peak hours like Friday evenings or Saturday afternoons when business tends to pick up most rapidly at retail locations like hers.

4. Establish Fair And Consistent Consequences For Irresponsible Behaviour

The first step in motivating your teen is establishing fair and consistent consequences for irresponsible behaviour. This means that you need to make sure the consequences are appropriate to the situation. For example, if your child leaves their shoes lying around the house all day, it’s not fair to give them a time-out when they’re late for dinner because of this.

Provide an advance warning before imposing a consequence. For example, say something like “If you don’t put away those clothes right now then I will take them away from you” rather than just taking away his clothes without warning him first so he knows what’s coming next time!

5. Be Strategic With Home Routines

Set up a daily routine. A routine can help your teen stay on task, especially when there are specific times for doing homework and chores. Use a timer to help your teen stay focused on tasks that require concentration–like studying or practicing guitar chords. 

If you’re using an app like Timer+ ($3) or Pomodoro Clock (free), set the timer for 25 minutes (Pomodoro) and encourage your teenager to work until it goes off. This will help him or her focus without feeling overwhelmed by having too much time ahead of them at once; they’ll also be able to see how much progress they’ve made toward completing the task at hand!

Be clear about the rules and expectations before beginning anything new with your ADHD child at home: “I expect you all do these chores every day after school so we can keep our house clean.” 

6. Build Their Self-Confidence

A big part of the ADHD experience is feeling like you are not good enough. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of other kids who seem more confident, smarter, and better at everything. This can lead to low self-esteem and a lack of motivation when it comes to completing tasks at home or school.

But there are things you can do as a parent that will help build your teenager’s confidence:

• Be patient with them while they learn new skills and try new things–even if they don’t succeed right away!
• Focus on what they do well (for example, “You did really well on that test”) instead of focusing on their failures (for example, “The last time we tried this project together was hard for both of us because we didn’t have enough time.”)

7. Establish A Regular Parent-Teen Meeting

It’s important to establish a regular parent-teen meeting. This will allow you and your teen to discuss any issues that may be affecting their behavior or performance in school, and it also gives both of you an opportunity to communicate what’s going well.

It’s best if these meetings take place at least once a week–more often if necessary–but no less than once every two weeks. The first few sessions should focus on establishing trust between the two of you, which means being willing to listen carefully without judgment or interruption while your teenager talks about his feelings regarding ADHD treatment and other areas of concern.

As time goes by, these sessions will become more productive because they give both parties a chance to voice concerns before they become serious problems that require intervention from outside sources such as teachers or counselors at school (or even therapists).

Learn How To Motivate Your Teenager With ADHD

Motivating your teenager with ADHD can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. If you want to motivate your teen, it’s important that you find out what they value and offer them rewards or incentives that appeal to those values.

If you have a teenager who has ADHD and is struggling in school, try giving them small rewards for good grades or completing homework assignments on time–like allowing them to watch their favorite show after they’ve finished their homework for the night.

If your teenager wants something more materialistic than just seeing their favorite TV show (which may not always be available), give them access to an app like Amazon where they can buy books or music downloads with money from chores around the house instead of spending all day playing video games at home alone while ignoring chores altogether!

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Conclusion

Motivating a teenager with ADHD can be a challenge, but the rewards are worth it. Your child will learn to manage their emotions and impulses, which will lead to better relationships with family members and friends. You’ll also get more peace of mind as your teen becomes more responsible for their actions! If you have any questions about how best to motivate your child with adhd, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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