Bedtime Advice for ADHD Children - Monkey Mind

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Ten percent of children suffer from ADHD and for them, calming down enough to get a soothing night's sleep can be a challenge. But now, parents at least can rest easy with the publication of the first children's picture booked aimed directly at ADHD kids.

In Monkey Mind: A Captivating Bedtime Story for Children, well-known parenting columnist Phoebe Lee, combines her experience in ADHD, children's sleep issues and parenting from a Buddhist perspective to craft a children's picture book just published by Chicago's Inspire You Books. The companion Monkey-Fish-Dragon guided meditation audio CD features music by an eight-time Emmy award-winner.

"The phrase 'monkey mind' is actually a Buddhist term for 'unsettled' or 'restless,'" says Lee, whose background includes both traditional education as well as study with Native American elders and Zen Buddhist monks and nuns. She wrote the book for her own daughter.

What can parents do to settle their ADHD kids for the night? Lee recommends the following:

Calming music : Nature sounds and audio books are great relaxation tools for both children and adults.

Guided meditation : Whether read aloud by the parent or played on an audio recording, guided meditation is a great way to help kids relax.

Creative visualization : Ask your child to imagine a comfortable place they'd like to go, or an activity in which they'd like to participate, then talk through their choice and scenario.

Lee, a popular writer of parenting and ADHD articles, is currently on an around-the-world "blog tour" to promote the book, which is available in bookstores and from Amazon.