Do people make jokes about the fact that you or your child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Perhaps others make judgments based on assumptions while others avoid the ADHD conversation with you entirely. Without a doubt, negative attitudes about the disorder exist.

According to information published in the journal Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, about 25 percent of a study’s respondents “did not want ‘their child to make friends with a child with ADHD'” while around 20 percent “expressed clearly that they do not want to engage with a child presenting behavior typically seen in ADHD.” In some instances, people blamed family members for an ADHD child’s misbehaviors. When it came to adults, the journal noted that ” ADHD in adulthood is even more likely than ADHD in childhood to be associated with misperceptions, confusion, and an increased number of laypeople and professionals lacking disorder-related knowledge.”

[See: 10 of the Biggest Health Threats Facing Your Kids This School Year.]

Why do such thoughts persist?

In short, says David Anderson, senior director of the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute in New York City, it has to do with stigmas that are often attached to many mental health and learning disorders. “Stigmas do the community a disservice,” he says, adding that many times, children are the ones who suffer as a result.

Jeffrey S. Katz, a Virginia-based child, adolescent and adult psychologist who specializes in ADHD, learning disabilities and behavioral problems, agrees that stigmas are problematic and unfair. He calls ADHD a “hidden disorder,” adding that someone with it may “look normal” when in reality, “a lot is happening” that the community may not be aware of.

Education to Reduce Stigmas

To help reduce the stigma associated with ADHD, Katz, who is also the co-chair of the public policy committee with CHADD — a national ADHD resource — and a member of its professional advisory board, says that being an advocate is important. Taking on that role, he explains, helps not only the child, but aims to reduce the stigma of mental illness and ADHD. But he says that in order to be an advocate and reduce stigmas, it’s essential to have a vast knowledge base. Katz explains that many parents come to his office, upset that their child isn’t doing what he or she is supposed to do, until they learn more about ADHD. “When you learn how ADHD works,” it can significantly change a person’s overall understanding, he says.

Behavioral Parent and Teacher Training

Anderson adds that a great deal of responsibility rests on the adults in an ADHD child’s life. He explains that because they are an instrumental and influential constant in their life, it’s helpful for adults to obtain training in behavioral management skills which they can apply in settings such as at home or in school. “Behavioral parent and teacher training,” he says, provides the adult in a child’s environment with behavior-management techniques that can ultimately lead to improvements. For example, a therapist may go to a school to provide teachers with behavior-management training, which he says is most effective especially among elementary-age children, an age in which older adults have more control and involvement with them. As a child grows older, he says that cognitive behavioral therapy may be suggested.

[See: 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Counseling.]

Knowing that such options are available in the first place is key, which circles back to the importance of being educated about the disorder.

Get Involved in the School System

“To be an effective advocate for yourself or your child,” Katz says, “you have to know more about disorder than anybody else.” Being able to say, “‘This is my child, this is how they are affected and what they need” is important, he explains.

“I was a huge advocate for my child,” says New Hampshire resident Debbie Bolduc, president of BizBuzz Marketing Partners LLC. “I made it my life during his childhood.” She explains that her son — now an adult — has ADHD and that she remained dedicated to staying knowledgeable about the disorder as well as his interactions with others as he grew up.

“What I strongly recommend to any parent,” she says, “is to volunteer in the child’s classroom if possible, even if you can only do it once a month.” Bolduc says that doing so helped her to better understand the teacher’s expectations, which she could then reinforce in the home environment in order to create behavioral consistency in both settings.

Observe, Convey Expectations

Similarly, Katz says, “you need to train the school.” He says that if the school doesn’t know you have certain expectations about your ADHD child, then miscommunication and potential challenges could arise.

Bolduc says volunteering allowed her to observe both her teacher’s interaction with her son as well as her son’s behavior outside the home. “See teachers as a team member and not an adversary,” she suggests. “Work with teachers, not against them.” She adds that she was also “constantly in contact with the special education department,” and also stresses the importance of not jumping to conclusions if a child comes home speaking ill of a teacher. For example, if your child says that a teacher was mean or unfair, she suggests avoiding knee-jerk reactions and asking the child about the situation. Many times, she explains, what you’re being told is coming from the child’s perspective which may not present the entire story: “Don’t assume the child is always innocent” in such circumstances, she suggests.

Know Who to Contact in the Community

Katz adds that being an advocate for your child’s ADHD involves “a deep knowledge of rights and policies.” For example, he says that “schools and workplaces have their own language and you can’t be an advocate if don’t understand it.” Reaching out to professionals throughout the community is therefore helpful for people, he says, noting that this can be in the form of reading related information on the internet, seeking the advice of organizations such as CHADD, making phone calls to your district’s special education department and by simply learning “who’s who in the community.”

[See: 10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids’ Health.]

Finally, Bolduc notes that people shouldn’t feel the need to hide their own or their child’s ADHD. “Doing so doesn’t help advocacy.”

“A lot of parents tell me they don’t want to tell the school about their child’s ADHD,” Katz says, “because they don’t want them to be labeled. I say, ‘Would you rather they talk about your child based on what they observe which may be things like, ‘oh, that student is so terrible,’ or have them say ‘he or she has ADHD?’ It’s better to have a label because a label tells what it is.” He adds that acknowledging the disorder is beneficial to help reduce associated stigmas and to encourage more hope and positivity.

More from U.S. News

10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids’ Health

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Counseling

10 of the Biggest Health Threats Facing Your Kids This School Year

Tips to Advocate for ADHD Awareness in Your Community originally appeared on usnews.com