If your child’s been diagnosed with ADHD, you’re probably aware of the struggles that this condition causes. Guiding your child through life and being concerned about their future requires a lot of time and energy. There’s currently a plethora of resources that instruct parents on how to manage their child’s ADHD symptoms. Yet, some overlooked aspects of this disorder still need to be discussed.
One of the problems that a child with ADHD may cause is constant swearing at school or during playdates. This can lead to unpleasant calls from teachers, principals, or other parents, complaining about the child’s bad influence on the other kids. Thus, in this article, we will talk about how to stop an ADHD child from swearing and suggest some ways that will help you have the situation in hand.
ADHD, a Modern Wave
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that involves one’s behavior. Its onset often occurs during childhood and usually lasts through adulthood. ADHD symptoms often include:
- Trouble sitting still
- Squirming and moving around a lot
- Having trouble focusing on studying
- Impulsive behavior
- Being forgetful
ADHD is not a new condition, but its prevalence among children has sure increased in recent years. CDC estimates that, as of 2011, 11% of American children (ages 4 to 17) had ADHD. These statistics show a 42% increase in ADHD rates compared to the timespan of 2003 to 2011.
The increase in ADHD can be due to two reasons: First, rates have genuinely increased because modern lifestyle induces ADHD occurrence. It may be because the technology that makes everything faster has affected children’s attention and made it difficult for them to focus on one thing. Another reason is probably that there has been a wider awareness of the disorder among people in recent years. This makes them seek diagnosis when they suspect that they may be suffering from the condition. On the other hand, more sensitivity on the subject may have caused an overdiagnosis compared to the past.
Why an ADHD Child Might Swear?
Swearing is not an official ADHD symptom, but there has been evidence that people with ADHD are more prone to using foul language. In the course of the said study, researchers analyzed the tweets of nearly 1400 Twitter users with ADHD to study their linguistic characteristics. This study revealed that these users use more swear words and impolite expressions on social media compared to others.
The origin of compulsive swearing ADHD can be traced back to the behavioral dysregulations that such a condition engenders. A child with ADHD is more impulsive than a normal child. Their brain is processing many different thoughts all at once. Also, they usually have trouble concentrating and don’t wait long enough to weigh their actions before actually doing them. All of these factors can contribute to compulsive swearing in ADHD children.
Strategies for Reducing Swearing Outbursts
Common ADHD treatments can help reduce swearing outbursts. However, here are some specific tips on how to stop ADHD child from swearing:
Monitor Your Child’s Activities
ADHD has been associated with increased chances of risky behavior. Children who suffer from the condition may break the rules more often and are therefore more prone to lying. So, it’s really important that you pay close attention to what they’ve been doing. Use as much help as you need through the process. You can talk frequently with teachers and get reports on their behavior. This way you can be aware of any behavioral changes and take measures if needed.
Another great tool that can give you a precise overview of your child’s activities and behavioral tendencies is parental control apps. Safes is one of those apps that will show you what your child has been sharing on social media and whether they’ve been using bad words there. It can also help you find out whether they’ve been following people who are modeling bad behavior. Plus, it’s a cross-platform app, meaning that you won’t have any trouble using it whether you’re on an Android, iOS, or Windows operating system.
Avoid Scolding Them
Scolding can be counterproductive for an ADHD child. They probably haven’t had the chance to really think their actions through. They swear on impulse and during anger outbursts and have little control over themselves. Rather than showing them bad behavior because of their bad behavior (see the irony?), you’d better sit them down and explain to them why swearing is not a very nice way to express oneself and how it can affect others. They’ve probably overlooked the fact that when they swear, they hurt other people’s feelings. Reminding them of this fact can help them see the situation more clearly.
Give Them Alternatives
We’ve all been there. Once you start cursing, it’s really hard to go back. These words really poison your mind and soon enough, it’ll be too hard for you to express yourself without using them. The same goes for children. Fortunately, there’s a way that you can change that.
Usually, there’s a more polite replacement for every bad word in English. For example, if your child uses the F word a lot, you can teach them to use these words instead, whenever they feel the need to say it: fudge, frick, or Fudge nuggets. Another example: instead of saying “I’m f*** tired!” they shall say: “I’m freaking’ tired”.
Don’t Read This Article Backwards!
This article has been written with the aim of giving you tips on how to stop ADHD child swearing. However, there’s a pitfall that should be avoided: This blog, and a lot of other similar blogs, are not good ways for diagnosing a problem in your child. In our case, you shouldn’t surmise that just because your kid swears a lot and is very active, they have ADHD. Nothing replaces professional help.
