04/12/2025
When Parents Only See Impulsivity — And Miss Everything Their Child Has Achieved
A perspective for families raising a child with ADHD
One of the most common situations in ADHD is this:
Parents want the impulsive behavior to stop immediately.
The jumping, shouting, interrupting, touching things, running off, or acting without thinking — it becomes the centre of attention.
But ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. And impulsivity is one part of it, not the whole picture.
What often gets lost is that the child may be improving in 10 other areas, but the parent’s eyes are fixed on the one behaviour that troubles them the most.
This article explains how this narrow focus becomes a barrier to true understanding — and how small shifts in perspective can open the door to better progress.
1. Impulsivity is the last to mature in ADHD
Neurologically, impulsive control develops late in ADHD because it involves:
Executive functioning
Emotional regulation
Sensory modulation
Working memory
Self-monitoring
These pathways take time, practice, and the right support.
So while parents expect quick change, the brain is still wiring.
When parents don’t understand this, they assume the child is:
careless
stubborn
not listening
intentionally difficult
This misinterpretation replaces observation.
2. Parents start missing real signs of improvement
While they focus only on impulsivity, they often overlook:
better emotional connection
longer attention during preferred tasks
better sleep patterns
reduced meltdowns
improved sensory tolerance
better communication
better transitions
more eye contact
improved handwriting
better peer interaction
willingness to try new tasks
These are huge gains in ADHD.
But impulsivity hides everything behind it.
3. The child feels judged only for the “worst part” of their condition
When parents repeatedly say:
“Stop doing that!”
“Don’t touch!”
“Control yourself!”
“Why can’t you sit still?”
“You’re eight years old now!”
…the child learns that no matter what they improve, they are still “wrong” in the parent’s eyes.
This slowly affects:
self-esteem
confidence
emotional safety
willingness to try
the parent–child relationship
When a child feels judged, progress slows.
4. Parents confuse hyperactivity with misbehavior
Most impulsive actions in ADHD are neurological overflow, not intentional misbehavior.
Examples:
Running because the body is overloaded
Interrupting because working memory can’t hold the thought
Touching objects because tactile input helps self-regulation
Talking loudly because volume control is weak
Acting without thinking because inhibitory control is low
But when parents see the behavior and not the cause, they react instead of understanding.
5. Emotional pressure blinds observation
When parents desperately want impulsivity to disappear:
they forget how far the child has come
they compare the child with typical peers
they lose patience for the 100 positive moments
they highlight the 1 impulsive moment
This creates a distorted picture of the child.
6. The child’s brain improves in layers — not all together
In ADHD:
Sensory regulation improves first
↓
Then attention for enjoyable tasks stabilizes
↓
Then emotional regulation gets better
↓
Then frustration tolerance grows
↓
Then social understanding improves
↓
Impulsive control matures last
Parents who expect the last step first feel disappointed and assume nothing is changing — even when everything is changing underneath.
7. Over-focusing on impulsivity leads to wrong decisions
Because parents are frustrated, they take decisions like:
switching therapies too often
adding unnecessary classes
starting school changes
increasing pressure
blaming the child
using punishment
over-correcting every small action
These decisions come from emotion, not observation.
8. When parents shift the lens, the child feels understood
When parents say:
“I see you’re trying.”
“I noticed you sat for 10 minutes today.”
“You handled the noise better.”
“You were kinder to your friend.”
“You waited for your turn longer today.”
…the child feels seen beyond their impulsivity.
And this emotional safety actually reduces impulsive behavior over time.
9. Impulsivity reduces when the brain feels regulated
The goal is not to stop impulsivity.
The goal is to support the brain so impulsivity settles.
This happens through:
sensory integration
emotional attunement
structured routines
therapeutic play
movement breaks
co-regulation
modeling language
predictable expectations
Not through pressure, punishment, or panic.
A message to parents raising a child with ADHD
Your child is not only impulsive.
Your child is growing, learning, maturing, trying — step by step.
Progress in ADHD is often silent, steady, and spread across many areas.
When you look only at impulsivity, you miss the larger picture of development.
When you shift your focus to:
connection
regulation
observation
patience
…you not only support your child’s progress —
you strengthen your relationship with them.
NOTHING IN NATURE IS HURRIED !!!