Counseling ADHD Child Phoenix, Scottsdale
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017ADHD treatment child and adolescents Phoenix AZ
Children with ADHD have issues above and beyond : hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattentiveness. Poor academic performances and poor behaviors at school, challenging relationships with peers and family members, difficult relationships with teachers and parents.
Children and adolescent teens that get along with parents and peers, have success at school academically, and parents with effective parenting skills are those with ADHD that have the best chance of adult success.
Behavioral therapy teaches children and parents skills to manage and master the three mentioned areas: healthy relationships, academic success, and teaching parents effective tools to address an ADHD child.
Psychosocial counseling and therapy for ADHD children and teenagers is called behavior modification or behavior therapy .
Best approaches in counseling is called a multi-modal approach. What this means is best results have been shown for ADHD children and adolescents when : parents, Psychotherapist with expertise with ADHD and youth work as a team. Incorporating behavior programs with this school can also show a team approach. Many schools are busy and overwhelmed with behavior issues and limited funding and teachers have so many students the child can not receive as much support as a parent or one on one counseling can provide .
Tailoring a specific program for your child is essential. Each child with ADHD has his or her own personality and temperament as well as unique family dynamics and environmental dynamics. A unique program is vital for your child’s success in modifying behaviors. It is best to start behavioral therapy as early as you can . The longer a parent waits for counseling the more time it will take to modify behavioral habits.
Parents can learn to reach behavioral goals, stay consistent, provide a reward based/conseq system, identify small goals that are manageable and not overwhelming to your child.
The first step is meeting with a counselor that works with behavior modification. Developing rapport and learning about the child and family dynamics is essential. Obtaining a history of behaviors that are working and behaviors that are not working is vital for treatment of ADHD and child behavioral issues.
Many Medical doctors believe that a child should not be on medication alone to address ADHD issues and should have behavioral therapy and counseling.
Children with ADHD symptoms can manage their ADHD symptoms through behavior modification.
Parents can learn to create a system at home that will work with each individual child. Having a plan that is written and clear and consistent is very important for the ADHD child. Parents play a big role in implementing the behavior modification plan. A reward based system is a positive based system when desired behaviors are not accomplished rewards are not available .
It is very important for parents to track the daily behaviors so each parent can be consistent. Rewarding the child for good behaviors and taking away rewards for poor behaviors must be done daily to create new and healthy behaviors for your child. You may have tried a system before however it is helpful to get advise from an expert in child ADHD behaviors that is objective and they can help modify and or create a new plan for success in the future.
Losing a reward when the negative behavior happens is best to re- solidify that behavior X is not ok and connecting it to a loss of a reward.
It is very important to be specific about changing or modifying a behavior. Telling your child he is being disrespectful does not really communicate what specific behavior is not ok. Telling your child that screaming is not ok is specific. Telling your child calling me a “jerk” is not allowed. Telling your child I asked you to come to the dinner table now and you waited ten minutes before you came is not an ok behavior.
Loss of rewards must be important to your child. If he has five games he places with and you take away the TV that is not a motivating consequence since he or she can play video games, use their smart phone, text, Play on the computer, watch a movie on Netflix via the computer etc.
Parents can learn strategies at LifeworksAZ.com to manage ADHD symptoms. Having both parents on the same page and enforcing the consequences and rewards daily is very important for behavior modification change.
At LifeworksAZ.com David Abrams MAPC not only helps parents with the behavior modification program for ADHD he gives parents tips and advise on how to create the best relationship with each individual child and create emotional, behavioral, and academic success. He works with the children teaching them tools and skills for success.
Lifeworksaz.com David Abrams MAPC, LPC, CAGS has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.
Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.
Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be. Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.
Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.
Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.
David has been working with youth and families for over 15 years. He helps the child learn tools to modify behavior and manage mood. Teaching children skills and tools to manage emotions, behaviors, school, and relationships. For more info contact lifeworksaz.com David Abrams MAPC, LPC.