Building Your Child’s Social Skills in 7 Steps
“Lagging maturity, fewer social models, and weak executive functions mean that children with ADHD may struggle socially. The good news is that, like any other skill, social-emotional skills can be taught and improved.”
Have you watched your child with ADHD interact with peers and wondered why they can’t drop the joke after it stopped making their friends laugh? Become too silly for too long, take over the game, and tell friends what to do and when to do it? Get into others’ space, talk at or poke friends over and over, or insist he is correct, regardless of whether it is true?
What Causes Poor Social Skills in Children with ADHD?
Some parents fear that if they don’t supervise, cajole, suggest alternatives, and remind their child not to say or do things, they will be destined to a life without friends.
Making and keeping friends is tough for some children with ADHD. While your child has strengths, it is the weak executive functions — the management system of the brain — that affect their social skills. These brain-based processes determine how they behave in social situations.
Lagging maturity, fewer social models, and weak executive functions lead many children with ADHD to struggle socially. This is particularly true for children who missed out on critical windows for social-emotional development during periods of social distancing, with few or no play dates. Here’s how parents can provide children with extra support to build emotional skills.