Parenting advice #2: Get an evaluation. Ask the teacher and school psychologist to test your daughter for learning disabilities. Half of girls with ADHD have learning issues, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. If your daughter qualifies, she's entitled to special help that can boost academic achievement, such as tutors or taking special exams, Livesay says.

Parenting advice #3: Set goals. Ask the teacher to work with your daughter on goals and rewards that help her control impulsive talking, pay attention in class or complete tasks on time. In exchange for meeting these goals, she'll get rewards she likes – for example, taking care of a classroom pet or spending extra time at recess.

If that isn't possible, offer your own rewards at home, suggests Howard Abikoff, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Behavior Disorders at New York University in Manhattan. Ask for simple daily reports about how well your child is meeting school behavior goals, then offer her benefits for a job well done.

Rewards can be phased out over time – many girls eventually behave better without the incentives, Livesay says.

Parenting advice #4: Reduce classroom chatter. Does your daughter get distracted easily or spend class time talking with classmates? Suggest moving her desk away from friends and to the front of the class, recommends Patricia Quinn ^[1], M.D., director of the Center for Girls and Women with ADHD in Washington, D.C.

If she isn't near girlfriends, she'll chatter less. And sitting in front of the teacher may help her pay attention. Also, give her a special notebook, with instructions to jot down comments as they come up. She can share her thoughts later, rather than blurting them out during lessons. This gives her an outlet to express spontaneous thoughts without disturbing the class.