Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): supporting teenagers

Supporting teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might need support to increase independence, develop friendships and learn.

Support works best when it makes the most of teenagers’ existing skills and ways of doing things.

Support plans for teenagers with ADHD

If your teenage child is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), their paediatrician, psychologist or occupational therapist or another health professional can work with you and your child to develop a support plan.

Your child’s support plan should consider all aspects of their life, including their goals, strengths, needs and responsibilities at home, at school and in other social settings.

Your child’s support plan might include:

strategies to help your child build independence
strategies to help your child develop friendships
adjustments at school to support your child’s learning
strategies to help your child study at home and manage their time
medicines to improve your child’s focus and attention.

If your child is also autistic or has a learning disorder, oppositional defiant disorder or anxiety, your child’s support plan can include strategies to help with these too.

The support plan should also consider what works for your family.

It’s a good idea to discuss your child’s support plan with other members of your family and your child’s carers and teachers. This helps people understand your child’s strengths and areas where they might need more support.

Your child’s professionals will regularly review your child’s support plan as your child grows and develops.

Your child’s professionals will help you understand how to support your child and put the strategies in your child’s plan into action. They can also help you learn more about ADHD and neurodiversity.

Building independence for teenagers with ADHD

Independence for all teenagers is about trying new things, taking on more responsibility, making decisions by themselves, and working out who they are and what they want to be. Achieving independence is an essential part of your child’s journey towards adulthood.

Here are strategies that can help your child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) develop independence:

Work with your child on goals for home, school, friendship and activities like sport. For example, your child might aim to finish homework before dinner or reply to messages from friends before the end of the day.
Help your child think about ways to get motivated and work towards their goals. For example, a routine might help with procrastination.
Help your child build organisational skills. For example, work with them on daily routines or timetables for bedtime, chores and homework. This can make it easier for your child to complete these activities.
Involve your child in making family rules. This can help your child feel heard and valued.
Work with your child on consequences for breaking family rules. Apply these consequences consistently. For example, you and your child might agree that they lose access to the PlayStation for a day if they behave aggressively.
Praise your child for trying to be independent – for example, when they remember to put their house key on a table near the front door. This can encourage your child to keep trying.

Developing friendships for teenagers with ADHD

Close friends and friendships are important for all teenagers, including teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Teenage friendships involve complex social and emotional skills, and most teenagers need some help to develop these skills. For teenagers with ADHD, friendship skills might need more practice.

Here are ideas to help your child build and navigate friendships:

Encourage your child to try a group-based extracurricular activity. This can be a way for your child to meet new people. Structured activities with routines and rules can help your child feel confident.
Encourage your child to show interest in others. For example, they could set phone alerts to help them remember friends’ birthdays.
Help your child to recognise strong emotions and find ways to calm down. For example, if your child feels criticised or rejected by a friend, your child could try breathing slowly.
Encourage your child to use problem-solving strategies if they have a challenging social situation like a misunderstanding with a friend.

Good parent-teen relationships help children have positive relationships with peers. So being warm and supportive, staying connected and actively listening to your child can help them with social relationships and friendships.

Adjusting the school environment to support learning for teenagers with ADHD

Teachers can make adjustments at school so your child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can learn in ways that work for them.

Here are adjustments that might work for your child:

Offer choices for assignments – for example, a written essay, online quiz or hands-on project.
Give your child extra time to finish tasks, especially tests, and allow breaks during tests.
Divide learning tasks into smaller chunks.
Offer movement breaks between tasks.
Allow sensory or fidget toys in the classroom.
Encourage your child to check in throughout the day with a trusted staff member.
Provide clear guidelines for group work – for example, allocating set tasks to each group member.

You and your child’s health professionals can discuss these strategies with your child’s teachers, the year coordinator or the school’s learning support officer. You could also ask about developing an individual learning plan (ILP) for your child.

Helping with homework and study for teenagers with ADHD

You can use strategies at home to help your child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) get organised, manage energy levels and maintain focus when they’re doing homework, learning or studying at home.

Here are strategies that might work for your child:

Make a weekly or monthly planner that shows when assignments are due and what tasks need to be done.
Build rest breaks into homework or study activities.
Break up learning tasks like reading or homework with short physical activity sessions.
Use an internet-blocking app to increase focus and reduce distractions when completing homework on a computer.

A healthy lifestyle is an important part of development and wellbeing for all teenagers. It’s good for your child to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep each night, make healthy food choices and balance screen time with other activities.

ADHD medicines

Your child’s doctor might prescribe medicines to help your child with focus and attention.

Stimulant medicines
Doctors will sometimes prescribe stimulant medicines for teenagers diagnosed with ADHD. These medicines can help teenagers with attention and self-regulation.

Methylphenidate is the most commonly used medicine of this type. It’s sold under the brand names Ritalin 10, Ritalin LA and Concerta.

Other stimulant medicines are dexamphetamine or lisdexamfetamine. Lisdexamfetamine is sold under the brand name Vyvanse.

Your child’s paediatrician or psychiatrist will talk with you about which drug and dose will be best for your child.

Here are questions to ask your doctor about medicines prescribed for your child:

How long will each dose last?
What are the side effects of the medicine?
Does my child need to take the medicine every day, including weekends and holidays?
How long does my child need to keep taking the medicine?
Can my child stop taking it suddenly?

Stimulant medicines can cause some side effects. These might include:

loss of appetite, which can affect your child’s weight gain
reduced final adult height – it might be 1-2 cm after long-term use
anxiety or agitation
headaches
worse tics, if your child has tics to start with.

If your child has been prescribed a stimulant medicine, your doctor should be monitoring your child closely. If there are side effects that are causing problems, your doctor might change the type, dose or timing of the medicine to help with this.

Occasionally teenagers with ADHD find that stimulants don’t suit them. For example, stimulants might make teenagers feel too quiet or just not themselves. If this happens, you should contact your child’s doctor so your child’s medicine can be reviewed.

Taking stimulant medicine doesn’t increase your child’s risk of developing alcohol and other drug abuse problems. In fact, it can protect them from this in the future.

Non-stimulant medicines
Doctors might consider other medicines if stimulants aren’t effective or have side effects that outweigh the benefits.

Non-stimulant medicines for ADHD include Strattera (atomoxetine), Catapres (clonidine) and Intuniv (guanfacine).

Other medicines
Melatonin might help your child get to sleep. Your child’s doctor will be able to tell you whether it could help your child.

Some teenagers find that they don’t need medicine as they get older, but many do use medicine in the long term.

Teenagers taking responsibility for ADHD medicine

As children get older, they often want to take more responsibility for their medicine and become more independent. Some children also go through a period where they don’t like the idea of taking medicines.

Either way, if your child can share their feelings about taking medicine, it can help you understand where they’re coming from. Listening to your child will also help you understand how the medicine affects their daily activities.

It’s also good to encourage your child to discuss things with their GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist. You might suggest they have part of their appointments alone with the doctor.

Looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally gives you the energy you need to support your child. You can look after yourself by eating well and doing physical activity, trying to get enough rest or sleep, making time for things you enjoy, and practising self-compassion.