If you are the parent of an ADHD child

then you will know exactly what kind of rages I am talking about

Its the rages when your child just loses it

It can last for minutes or even hours sometimes, they are completely worn out

afterwards

The worst for me is trying to stop my son from physically hurting himself

This is what works for my son and me.

You can always sense when there is a rage building up,
Their breath is rapid and they clench their fists and have a set facial expression

Step One
Distraction
There is always the chance that if you spot the "danger" signs early enough you can distract your child. A good thing I have found is to ask my son to help me to do something in the kitchen, either give him a responsible job towards dinner or ask him to open/shut/put away something that I am not strong enough to do
Take them somewhere quiet and tell them a funny story of some event that you saw/heard about that day
Once you have distracted them and you know they are calmer, then and only then try to broach the subject to find out what was making them angry

Step Two
Removal
If it is too late for distraction, remove them from the situation that is frustrating them, ask them to calm down and think about what is going through their head

Step Three
Breathing
Take them somewhere quiet and try relaxation breathing with them. Obviously this technique needs to be practised first when they are already calm so they know what is involved wih the breathing and how to do it and control the technique. Deep breaths in and out, breathe along with them so they have something to focus on

Step Four
Holding
Just hold your child and try to control their arms from flinging around and hurting you. Hold them securely but lovingly, talk softly and coaxingly to them. Tell them how much you love them and gently plead with them to calm down. All the while try to do a gentle rocking motion as you hold them. As they slowly stop shouting and break into quiet sobs, stroke their cheeks and say loving things to them

Step Five
Screaming
Only when all else fails, take them to a safe room and ask them to stand still and scream out all their anger!!! You will be suprised how long they can scream for, but let them do it. All the while they are screaming they are relieving the stress they are under and are also not hurting themselves in other ways. Okay they may well have a sore throat but at least they are not slapping themselves or others, punching or kicking themselves or others or even headbutting walls etc
Let them scream it all out. When they have stopped they will be tired out and possibly emotional. Use the Holding Method or the Breathing Method until you feel the episode is over and they are normal again.

Step Six
Writing
I have in a previous article told you about the Journals my sons keep. After a rage I encourage my ADHD child to write in his Journal, what upset him, how he felt during the rage, how he feels about it all afterwards and what can he do different in the future to stop the rage. He actually really enjoys writing about it and finds it very useful, but this part should never be forced. If they do not want to write it down then don't push it.

I Hope some of these tips will help anyone who has to cope with these kind of Rages
We all know it can be distressing for the parent as well as the child
Always be gentle with the child
And always reassure them of your love and support for them