You've finally gotten your teenager on an effective dose of Adderall or another stimulant that works for her. But the irony is that she can't remember to take her medication unless she's on her medication! How can you prepare her for when she's on her own?
Instructions
1. Make this a joint project with your teen. Emphasize that it's a step toward independence from you and something that must be in place before he goes to college.
2. Discuss the consequence of setbacks. Many ADHD teens respond well to physical consequences such as push-ups or running a mile. Get her buy-in to whatever plan you come up with. Let teachers know you're no longer reminding your child to take her meds and warn them that she may show up unmedicated during the learning curve.
3. Have your child choose a handy, visible location for his medication. Emphasize the habit of keeping these things in the same place when he's not carrying them.
4. Show him arrange the medicine in the daily dispenser. If he takes morning and afternoon medication, place both in the slots. Be sure the dispenser is large enough to hold any vitamins or other medications such as occasionally-prescribed antibiotics.
5. Practice a morning routine for you child to take her medicine first thing after she wakes up.
6. Let him go to school unmedicated if he forgets his morning dose. After school, he'll be subject to your agreed-upon consequence. This may sound harsh, but your teen has to experience the outcome of his failure in order to succeed.
7. If she takes an afternoon dose, buy her a watch with a timer and have her count forward eight hours (or her particular interval between doses) after taking the morning meds and set the watch for the appropriate time. This is also a good idea for the weekends, when she may take her morning dose later and need to adjust the afternoon alarm.
8. After a week or so of success, celebrate his march toward independence!
Tags: child take, morning dose, toward independence, your child, your teen