Hi Claire Thank you for the articles you send. They are very informative and interesting. I have emailed you before regarding my sons and the sudden loss of their dad. Since the last time we spoke my boys have grown and adjusted to their “new” life positively, I have remarried and my husband is very good to them. I do have one problem however, my son is ADHD and you know the behaviour, Yes they are always on a high. My main concern is the lack of sensitivity or the fact that children that are ADHD are not understood and can experience rejection. I often watch my son with other kids and see  how  annoyed they are with him, to the point of pushing him away. It hurts me very much and I try to dissuade him but he has a heart of gold. He doesn’t know they are being mean and  he keeps going back. It hurts me as a parent because I see their attitude.  He cannot be mean it’s not in his nature. How do I prevent this from happening, how do I prevent the rejection?  Thank you. Your advice is most appreciated.

Thank you for your email and kind words about my articles. I apologise for the delay in getting back to you. I am so pleased to hear your sons are doing well and bonding with your new husband.  Children can be hard on each other and the best thing you can do is empower your son my teaching him to read the body language of others and be sensitive to their personal space. He should know that if children are pushing him away or saying no that, that is his cue to be more gentle or give them more space. It will not be easy for him especially when he is excited but by role playing situations with him he will become more aware of how his behaviour impacts others. Observe him when he is playing and have a code word you can call out to him to help him manage his behaviour by stopping or backing off. It is also important that you chat to his friends if they are being mean and tell them that they should say no or stop if your son is bothering them rather than being mean. Explain to them how sad it makes you feel when you see them being mean to your son and if you think it's necessary explain to them that your son's brain produces more of certain chemicals which gives him more energy and so it is sometimes hard for him to control himself and that he is not deliberately trying to bother them. I recommend that you have your son re assessed every few years by a specialist paediatric neurologist to determine if he still has ADHD and if there are any new management techniques or research that may help you.  Also read as much as you can on ADHD especially with regards to new treatments and approaches.     Good luck and let me know how you all are doing.