IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS
Children with ADHD have difficulty making
friends because they may not pay attention
to social cues. Their impulsive behaviors
can also be annoying or hurtful to their
peers. Sometimes their impulsivity can lead
to aggression.

One child I worked with thought other
kids were making fun of him. When I
investigated this situation I found the
children actually wanted to be friends with
him. He was misreading the other children’s
social cues, causing him to feel both angry
and left out.

According to an NIMH-sponsored study,
children who took ADHD medication
showed more improved social skills and peer
relations than children in the non-medicated
comparison group after 14 months.

medication, a child can improve both their
social skills and school performance, which
would improve their self-esteem. As in the
case with John, he proudly displayed his
honor roll status in his room.

Research studies have also examined
how ADHD medication can be beneficial
in sports settings. A study done at the
University of Kentucky found children who
took medication for ADHD performed better
during baseball games.

IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM
However, medication isn’t a magic pill.

Often children with ADHD have poor self-
esteem due to the difficulties they experience I like to use the analogy that medication is
in school and social situations. By taking like a shovel. A person can dig a hole with
their hands, but if they use a shovel it will be
easier. But the shovel is not going to magi-
cally dig the hole itself; the person still needs
to do the work. Medication can be a tool
that helps make it easier for children with
ADHD to focus and be less impulsive, but
they still must put in the effort to complete
their schoolwork.

Medication can also have side effects and
may not be effective for everyone. There are
other ways to treat ADHD, such as counseling,
behavioral management and alternative
treatments like acupuncture. Often a com-
bination of counseling and medication can
be most effective. Ultimately, the child and
parents must make
an informed deci-
sion about which
method or meth-
ods will work
best for them. n
Cheryl Maguire
has a master’s in
counseling psychology.

Her writing has been
published in The New York
Times, National Geographic,
Parents Magazine,
AARP and many other
publications. You can find her
on Twitter at
@CherylMaguire05. *name has been changed for privacy
WashingtonFAMILY.com 25