No Summer Breaks for Parents of Children With ADHD

Two weeks ago, Marie Franc took her youngest son, Islam, to an amusement park for some fun. “Thank God I wore sneakers so I could chase him,” she groans, recalling a day full of between-ride sprints. “I came home and felt like I needed a vacation.”

But that’s not likely. Franc says that even a night out with her husband seems like an impossible and overly indulgent escape. That’s because two years ago, a neurologist diagnosed Islam with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or ADHD). Today, doctors are still tinkering with the 6-year-old’s medications, and Islam has spent his summer wading between temper tantrums and the world’s greatest sugar-high—with no “off” button.

“You have to keep your eye on him constantly,” says Franc, 41, who works 50-hour weeks as a customer service manager for a limousine service. “I feel like my mind is on 24/7, and sometimes I just want to cry.”

In the United States, ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children today. More than 4 million school-aged youths—or one to two kids in every 25-student classroom—have ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Once referred to as ADD (attention deficit disorder), health professionals renamed the disorder in 1987, splicing the word “hyperactivity” into its title. Individuals with ADHD can fall anywhere inside a wide spectrum of chronic behaviors, but oftentimes they struggle with organization and transitions. They can also lose interest quickly, act rashly and fidget constantly.

Consequently, a child with ADHD often tests their parents’ thresholds for patience and vigilance—especially in the summer months, when the rigid structure of the school day is gone.

Marsha Greenberg, 52, has a 9-year-old son with ADHD. “You want to jump out a window,” she says of the long summer break. “You have to watch over your kid all the time. It’s relentless. I’ve changed from being a very committed, aggressive person who could do everything in life to someone who is just constantly worrying about my kid.”

Lisa Kaplan’s 12-year-old daughter Hayley was diagnosed with ADHD in fourth grade.  Kaplan, 48, and a freelance producer who works from a home office, says productivity levels drop the moment Hayley starts her summer break.

“If Hayley gets bored, she needs me to be her source of entertainment,” says Kaplan. “If I want her to do anything, I have to constantly harass her. It’s exhausting.”

Summer camp is one respite for both parents and kids. Children with ADHD respond well to camps because they tend to have structure and foster physical activity. Greenberg’s son is now attending an eight-week day camp at Manhattan’s New York University. The camp’s activities are planned by the minute and intended only for children with ADHD. “It has literally saved our lives,” says Greenberg, who notes a dramatic improvement in her son’s behavior.