The Power of Validation to Soothe Supersensors
When emotional earthquakes strike kids with ADHD, the feelings hit fast and hard, and the aftershocks often linger. These big feelings may trigger yelling, hitting, destroying, even self-harming, and, in later years, using drugs or alcohol.But studies suggest that we can teach kids effective skills for regulating their emotions, improving their behavior, engaging in active problem solving, and building positive relationships.
How? The intervention I’ve found most helpful is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).“Dialectical” is simply the idea that two things that seem like opposites are true at the same time.
Some examples of dialectics are: “I am independent, and I sometimes need help,” or “I’m really frustrated with you, and I love you.”A simple approach to incorporating dialectical thinking into your parenting is to replace “but” with “and.” When you tell your child, “I know you’re angry, but you need to put your coat on,” that communicates that the first part of the sentence (the child’s side) is less important than the second half (the parents’ side).
Replacing “but” with “and” communicates that both sides are equally important.[Watch: Managing ADHD and Emotion Dysregulation with Dialectical Behavior Therapy]When families arrive at DBT, they’ve often heard negative interpretations of their kids’ challenging behavior – and accusations that they are manipulative or spoiled.
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United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
Recovered: 0
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Brazil
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Cases: 21 835 785
Deaths: 608 235
Recovered: 0
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United Kingdom
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Cases: 9 215 683
Deaths: 141 607
Recovered: 0
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Russia
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Cases: 8 494 589
Deaths: 237 619
Recovered: 0
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