Discipline

Give your child with LD, ADD consistent discipline, not lectures

There’s no question that disciplining kids with learning disabilities requires new techniques. Here are three things to keep in mind:

1. Do not lecture your child. Save your breath. Kids with learning disabilities and ADD live in the here-and-now. Use as few words as possible. “Jake—TV off. Now.”
2. Make consequences immediate. If your child misbehaves, you have to enforce the rule, even if you’re in public. Kids with LD and ADD won’t remember when they get home what they did in the meat aisle to earn a time out.
3. Be consistent. These children need to predict what’s coming. Kids are persistent. If they think there’s even a chance to wear you down, they’ll keep nagging. But if “no” always means “no,” they’re more likely to go along.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Suzanne H. Stevens, Classroom Success for the LD and ADHD Child, ISBN: 0-895-87159-9 (John F. Blair, Publisher, 1-800-222-9796, www.blairpub.com).