Before we jump into the various suggestions that you can implement for Attention Deficit Disorder With/out Hyperactivity behaviour improvement, let me just congratulate you on the journey thus far.

Did you know that you have just learnt more on AD-HD than most professionals will be able to feed you in one entire year?

You ought to pat yourself in the back because now all your hard work will pay off.

After building up your understanding on ADDD, the strategies will make more sense and you can adapt them to your specific situation. Better yet, my goal is that by the end of it all you will have enough knowledge that you can make the most informed decision.

Alright, so what are the 7 steps I hear you say. Well, these are preliminary steps and are designed to set the tone for the rest of our journey together. Although they will not turn an outrageous, bombastic, testosterone GI Joe or Jane into a quiet, calm, social saint, in one day, it is the first step and over time you will see the results.

And the best part, I guarantee that as a parent you will move from the position of enduring pain back to enjoying the company of your beloved child.

So sit back relax and let us get stuck into it.

seven easy steps to better behaviour

1. Accept your adolescent as he or she is

2. Aim for the subtle path not the jugular

3. Action a routine

4. Announce your position and communicate clearly

5. Analyse the environment for triggers

6. Always look for the good side

7. Acknowledge problems and implement 'danger containment' strategies

STEP 1: Accept your kid as he or she is

Attention Deficit Disorder With or Without Hyperactivity is part of the childs make up. Their bodies are inherently more sensitive to the challenges of our environment and many of their behavioural outbursts are often out of their direct control (but that is because you have no idea what the trigger is yet).

This is a physical problem just like bad asthma. If your young adolescent was wheezing and breathless you wouldn't say it was all in their mind now would you? Neither would it occur to you to blame them when they run slower than their friend’s right?

Here is just something to think about. I was reading a journal article. I will spare you the scientific detail but they have found that wheat protein can mimic the asthma response! What this means is that of the asthmatics out there, some are actually intolerant to wheat!

That is things like breakfast cereal, white processed bread, rice and all kinds of stuff that most of us take in everyday.

What does that have to do with Hyperactivity? Well, if you were thinking wheat might be implicated in ADHD you are right on the ball. Indeed there has been some research that suggests maybe some kids are sensitive to wheat and that may cause them to display AD-HD like symptoms.

Something to think about isn't it?

AD/HD is very real and I'm not here to convince you other wise. My aim is to help you through this test so that you too can go out and help other people. From previous discussions you know that being aggressive with your kid is not going to make things healthier. Instead, recognizing them for who they are, undersanding that the limitations are a little different from their other brother can go a long way.

After all, they do have the Attention Deficit Disorder - (Add) advantage, of course that doesn't mean you let them get away with murder. It just means you have to make extraordinary allowances.

Once you have accepted the young adolescent for who they are it is time to look at...

Step 2: Aiming for the quiet path, not the jugular!

adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder generate an immense amount of stress in their families. Yet ironically stress is the number one catalyst that sets off bad behaviour.

It seems like a soft suggestion, to tell parents to stand smiling as their child numbs their nerves. Hard to do, no doubt. But the truth is that easy or not, calm creates the environment which is most conductive to keeping relationships close and adolescents under control.

As a parent you must always have your mind clear and focus on the big behaviours that matter. It is the concept of rationing. Use your time, energy and effort to target the things that really matter. Fix the big and ditch the trivial.

The greatest reward comes when I tell parents this and they just sit in their chair dumbfounded. After a few minutes of contemplating, the message sinks in and they start to smile. They accept the truth in what has been said to them.

It is true that what I have presented to you is profound and it is equally true that I don't have to live with your young kid too. The saying goes, 'Easier said than done,' and I agree.

However, if you do take note of this strategy and start implementing it, you will find that the tantrums will go down and you will get more quality communication going which will help the relationship in the long term.