# Praise a specific effort

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/praise-specific-effort/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 71 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#praise-specific-effort

Help your child see what went well, including the small tries that are easy to miss.

**The number:** Recognise effort and small improvements ([Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, 2026](https://connect.humber.nhs.uk/service/childrens-adhd-intervention-team/adhd-self-esteem/))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Very low certainty. Measured in people with ADHD.
- See this comparison on the evidence map: https://adhd100.jock.pl/evidence/#r-parent-mediated-behavioral-interventions-youth-core-adhd-symptoms-parent-rated-short
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: NHS practical advice; EBI context is a multi-component parent intervention, not an isolated estimate for praise.
- Benefit: 43/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## Why it matters

NHS ADHD guidance recommends noticing effort and giving specific praise. In the EBI review, full parent-mediated programmes gave a small short-term improvement in parent-rated ADHD symptoms near 12 weeks, SMD 0.345, with very low certainty. Those programmes bundle multiple skills together. So the estimate does not measure praise alone, and it does not establish lasting benefit.

## How to do it

1. Spot a small behaviour your child is working on.
2. Say what you saw, warmly and promptly, in a way your child likes.
3. Praise the effort or the progress, and stop there. No criticism tacked on the end.

## Talk to a clinician first

Praise is support, not a substitute for assessment or a complete parent-training programme.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Pick a recent effort your child made and say out loud the exact words you'd use to praise it.
- 5 minutes: Notice and warmly describe an effort your child makes during an ordinary interaction.
- 15 minutes: Read the NHS self-esteem guide and choose one small effort to notice over the next few days.

### What it looks like

- 'You let your sister finish her sentence. Thank you for waiting.'
- 'That was frustrating, and I noticed you asked for help.'

### Common mistakes

- 'Well done, but why not always?' weakens the praise. Let it stand on its own.
- A distant goal can hide progress, so recognise a small step your child actually took.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [ADHD & Self Esteem (undated)](https://connect.humber.nhs.uk/service/childrens-adhd-intervention-team/adhd-self-esteem/), Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
- [ADHD: supporting relationships (undated)](https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/nd-digital-library/understanding-neurodiversity/adhd/), Norfolk and Waveney Children and Young People's Health Services, NHS

## Sources

- [ADHD & Self Esteem (undated)](https://connect.humber.nhs.uk/service/childrens-adhd-intervention-team/adhd-self-esteem/), Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [ADHD: supporting relationships (undated)](https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/nd-digital-library/understanding-neurodiversity/adhd/), Norfolk and Waveney Children and Young People's Health Services, NHS, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [EBI-ADHD umbrella review: re-estimated dataset, commit 86eff22a9ffb](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CorentinJGosling/EBI-ADHD-UR-2025/86eff22a9ffb/datasets/dataset-ur-adhd.csv), Gosling et al., BMJ accompanying open data, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12651917/), BMJ, full text via PMC, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.

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