Why children with ADHD should use self-instructions

One of the difficulties that children with ADHD encounter is their excessive impulsiveness when carrying out tasks, whether they are those of everyday life or they are tasks school Added to this impulsiveness is the lack of attention or the difficulty in focusing attention on the relevant stimuli, t

Self-instructions for children with ADHD, what are they?

Self-instructions are very useful for these children, since:

- They facilitate the development of an internal language, which regulates their behavior, (it is like an inner voice that tells them how to proceed in each situation)

- They make it easier for them to be more reflective.

- Make them have successful experiences.

- They also improve the image they have of themselves.

Self-instructions are a technique for behavior change, which focuses on the internal language as a regulator and modulator of behavior. In children with ADHD, that internal language sometimes does not exist, they usually act and then think, but they do not reflect on what they are doing or have to do, that is why training in self-instruction is very positive for them.

The training in self-instruction is a technique that we professionals usually work in the work sessions with these children that we can also apply at home, (and at school) guided by a professional, who guides us, advises us and teaches us the technique to parents and teachers to be able to follow this work at home or in the classroom.

How to use self-instructions with children ADHD

- At first the adult serves as a model, and he or she will think aloud of the steps that follow or how to solve a task. For example, before solving a soup of letters, "What do I have to do? Very well, I have to look for these words that are below in the alphabet soup, how will I do it? First I will read the words I have to search and then I will look horizontally for the first word, then vertically and then diagonally, until I find it, I will look very well at the first letter of the word ... "The adult serves as an example of how he acts in different situations. En - In a second moment,

the adult gives the instructions, and the child performs the task. - Once the child knows what he has to do,

the child gives the instructions and goes about the task . As it is a difficult job, we visually support the steps that must be taken, so that the child has a written "plan" that can follow and review all the steps. Poco - Little by little and as the child goes internalizing and automating these thoughts,you will not need to say them out loud or need guidance or visual support,

and you can also extend these "thoughts" to all the tasks you do, both in school like at home The important questions that children should ask themselves are: - What do I have to do? What do you ask? What I need?

- How will I do it? I plan ...

- Have I done everything? Review and check. Como And as always, finish with messages of encouragement and reinforcement, whether the task has gone well, or not, the important thing is that they try and put it into practice.

Now that the school has started, it is very normal, for example, for children with ADHD to leave class without putting things in their backpacks (the doorbell rings and they leave without thinking about their backpacks, their homework, the material ... ) so training them in self-instructions is very useful for them. From home we can "train" preparing the backpack the day before with them. We can make a poster that is hung in your room where we will detail step by step what to do, for example:

I prepare the backpack to go to school:

- I check the next day's schedule and see what subjects I have and what books, tokens , notebooks I have to carry.

- I start with the first hour, "Mathematics", so I have to put the matte notebook ... After English, so I have to put in the backpack the English tab ... and with all the subjects.

- I also have to carry the case, and the folder ...

- That's it! I check ...

- If everything is ok, I close my backpack and leave it at the door of my house, to take it tomorrow before going to school ...

We will do this first with the children, and little by little they will do it alone.

How motivation is very important, it is convenient that we reinforce this behavior, and give them positive words when they do it alone, and avoid negative words like, "again you have forgotten this again or take a good look, you have it here written ... "For them it is a very difficult task, so they need encouraging and positive words.

Those same steps can be done when they leave class, before returning home, (so from the classroom, giving them more time to go out, and review with them the steps they have to take would be very positive for them), and at home we will check if everything is fine, if something is missing, we remind you of the steps you have to take in class, and we encourage you for the next day, without getting angry ... remember that they try!

And as always, patience, affection and words of encouragement.