Stealing is a common misbehavior for children with ADHD. One of the characteristics of ADHD is impulsivity: acting without thinking. When a child with ADHD sees something she likes, she will often put it in her pocket, put it in her mouth, or take it with her.
Later, when he has a quiet moment, he will take it out to take a good look at what he has. If it’s not as interesting as you thought, you could discard it.
When a boy is caught stealing, he lies impulsively to avoid losing his stolen loot and avoid discipline. (That’s why stealing and lying often go hand in hand.)
The secret is to clearly see the behavior and stay calm. Approach the elements rationally and you can overcome this.
A child will steal for the following reasons:
* He likes shiny or shiny objects, so he takes them impulsively. This is common in children with ADHD.
* He wants something to chew on, so he steals food, gum, or candy. Kids with ADHD often steal gum from convenience stores. These children also bite the collar and sleeves of their shirts.
* Wants to buy gum and candy, so steals money to buy them (common in older children with ADHD).
* Wants revenge; For example, if a classmate got him into trouble, he might steal a book from his school bag.
* You feel dispossessed, materially or emotionally abandoned: children steal, unconsciously to fill the feeling of emptiness in your heart.
* Want to escape depression: Inflated by cunning and the thrill of stealing, he can escape depression. He gets a temporary thrill when he’s being chased.
Some parents just threaten by saying, “If you steal in the real world, you’ll go to jail.” The child thinks: “Nothing happens to me when I steal at home and at school, so I could steal again and take the risk.”
A child may lie for the following reasons:
* You cannot admit that you made a mistake (the most common), for example, you broke a vase.
* He is afraid of punishment-remembers the pain of when he was punished before.
* You want to impress others with your background or skills, for example, “My dad has 13 cars.”
* You don’t want others to know about your embarrassing past; for example, she lives in a poor area of the city.
* He does not know the difference between the truth and a lie, because he lies very often. He forgets about his lies, thus keeping the others very confused.
Yelling, threatening, and yelling does not change your child’s stealing behavior.
Use the following guiding techniques for lying and stealing:
Make sure your child has three meals and two snacks each day. Keep a fruit plate available for snack time. Have sugarless emergency gum on hand in case your child seems desperate to chew on something. It will save a lot of shirt collars and sleeves.
Catch your child every time he steals, and must get logical consequences every time. Trace the source of everything he says he found or was given. Insist on seeing a receipt for the items he says he bought. Otherwise, donate the item to charity or return it to the school’s lost and found.
Teach him the difference between “needs” and “wants.” When your eyes fix on something and you want to reach for it, you must learn to ask yourself, “Do I want it or do I need it?” If he only wants the pen that his partner is holding, teach him to ask his partner, “Can I hold/admire your pen for a few moments?”
To train this skill, you gather some novelty items (like the ones you can steal). Monitor him while he practices by saying, “Can I hold/admire your [novelty item] for a few moments?” Give him the item and let him look at it for a few moments. Thank him when he returns it. At the end of this science experiment, give him a token. Teach him that he needs something if he can’t do without it, for example, air, water, food, and rest. If you need something, you are justified in asking for it appropriately. For example, “Mom, it’s 6:00 pm. Is dinner ready? If not, can I have a cookie because my stomach is growing?”
Teach your children to resolve arguments with clear and assertive communication, not revenge.
Give your child ways to earn his allowance with good behavior and good grades so he has money to spend. (I recommend using a token system.) Let him spend it as he pleases, even on sweets. She earned it.
Give him logical consequences for each stealing event. One of the most compelling consequences is paying restitution of three times the value of the stolen items. If your child has to pay three times the value of a $10 item and return it, he will learn that it is worth waiting to buy it with the allowance.
Train your son in values and make him responsible for his actions with logical consequences. If you consistently use these methods every time you suspect he is stealing, your child will probably decide that stealing is more trouble than it’s worth.
you can solve this
Consistency is critical to a possible cure for children who lie and children who steal.