If you have a child who has ADD or ADHD, you may be struggling with how to best raise him or her. It can be a real challenge to know how to communicate, discipline, accept, and work with your child when they are also having to deal with something that they’re not really equipped to handle either. Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there that can help parents feel like they can better reach out to their child and help them find success. To show you some of these, here are three ways you can help your child with ADD or ADHD.

Create An Organized Routine

Just like all children, kids who are living with ADD or ADHD also need strict and consistent routines in their life. According to the Child Development Institute, doing the same things at the same time of day can do a lot to help your child feel a sense of normalcy in their life. For example, try to have your child wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. Additionally, try to have meals at consistent times and in consistent routines. If you’re going to have to deviate from your routines, make sure you explain what will be happening and why to your child. This may help them better cope with what’s happening.

Build A Healthy Relationship With His or Her Teacher

When your child reaches school age, you may find that he or she faces more challenges academically than other children. To help your child learn all they need to learn and also feel like they’re succeeding in school, HelpGuide.org suggests that you do all you can to build a healthy relationship with your child’s teacher. By doing this, you’ll be able to get real feedback about how your child is doing and what steps can be taken both at home and in the classroom for further academic or social success. This may also help your child’s teacher if he or she is feeling overwhelmed by trying to educate your child effectively in a big classroom setting.

Learn The Difference Between Discipline and Punishment

While all children disobey and act out at times, you may feel like your child with ADD or ADHD has this type of behavior more often than not. But in order to help them adjust their behavior, you’ve got to understand the difference between discipline and punishment. According to Deborah Carpenter, a contributor to ADDitudeMag.com, parents should try to discipline their children rather than punish them for behavior they don’t completely have control over. When you discipline, you teach how to properly behave as opposed to trying to force or shame your child into mimicking correct behavior.

If you want to better understand and work with your child with ADD or ADHD, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.