Q: Should I Force My Son to Accept Math Help?
Your son with ADHD is struggling at school with math. His teacher has offered extra help, but he refuses to go. Should you force your child to accept assistance? The answer is yes, for three reasons that might surprise you.
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Q: “My 11-year-old son with ADHD is really struggling in math. His teacher has offered extra tutoring and after-school help, but he refuses to go. Should I force him to accept this assistance?”
A: “You should absolutely make your son go for help for a few reasons. Number One: If someone is offering help, that means they are thinking about him. They want him to succeed. And by resisting that help, he is sending the message that what you’re offering me is not very important to me. That’s a lack of perspective taking. And we want to teach our boys to think about others’ thoughts and to practice reciprocity. Number Two…”
Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW is the facilitator of the ADHD Dude Facebook Group and YouTube channel. Ryan specializes in working with males (ages 5-22) who present with ADHD, anxiety with ADHD, and learning differences; he is the one professional in the United States who specializes in teaching social cognitive skills to boys from a male perspective.