Most experts recommend using both medication and behavior therapy to treat ADHD.
This is known as a multimodal treatment approach.
There are many forms of behavior therapy, but all have a common goal— to change
the child’s physical and social environments to help the child improve his behavior.
Under this approach, parents, teachers, and other caregivers learn better ways to work
with and relate to the child with ADHD. You will learn how to set and enforce rules,
help your child understand what he needs to do, use discipline effectively, and
encourage good behavior. Your child will learn better ways to control his behavior as
a result. You will learn how to be more consistent. Behavior therapy has 3 basic
principles.
Tips for helping your child control his behavior
Keep your child on a daily schedule. Try to keep the time that your child wakes up,
eats, bathes, leaves for school, and goes to sleep the same each day.
Cut down on distractions. Loud music, computer games, and TV can be
overstimulating to your child. Make it a rule to keep the TV or music off during
mealtime and while your child is doing homework. Whenever possible, avoid taking
your child to places that may be too stimulating, like busy shopping malls.
Organize your house. If your child has specific and logical places to keep his
schoolwork, toys, and clothes, he is less likely to lose them. Save a spot near the front
door for his school backpack so he can grab it on the way out the door.
Reward positive behavior. Offer kind words, hugs, or small prizes for reaching goals
in a timely manner or good behavior. Praise and reward your child’s efforts to pay
attention.
Set small, reachable goals. Aim for slow progress rather than instant results. Be sure
that your child understands that he can take small steps toward learning to control
himself.
Help your child stay “on task.” Use charts and checklists to track progress with
homework or chores. Keep instructions brief. Offer frequent, friendly reminders.
Limit choices. Help your child learn to make good decisions by giving him only 2 or
3 options at a time.
Find activities at which your child can succeed. All children need to experience
success to feel good about themselves.
Use calm discipline. Use consequences such as time-out, removing the child from the
situation or distraction. Sometimes it is best to simply ignore the behavior. Physical
punishment, such as spanking or slapping, is not helpful. Discuss your child’s
behavior with him when both of you are calm.
Principles for behavior therapy
Set specific goals. Set clear goals for your child, such as staying focused on
homework for a certain time or sharing toys with friends.
Provide rewards and consequences. Give your child a specified reward (positive
reinforcement) every time she shows the desired behavior. Give your child a
consequence (unwanted result or punishment) consistently when she fails to meet a
goal.
Keep using the rewards and consequences. Using the rewards and consequences
consistently for a long time will shape your child’s behavior in a positive way.
Specific Behaviour Therapies are-
1.Positive Reinforcement: E.g Child completes an assignment and is permitted to play on the computer
2.Time Out: E.g Child hits sibling and, as a result, must sit for 5 minutes in the corner of the room
3.Response cost: E.g Child loses free-time privileges for not completing homework
4.Token Economy: E.g Child earns stars or points for completing assignments and loses stars for getting out of seat. The child cashes in the sum of her stars at the end of the week for a prize
Behavior therapy recognizes the limits that having ADHD puts on a child. It focuses on how
the important people and places in the child’s life can adapt to encourage good behavior and
discourage unwanted behavior. It is different from play therapy or other therapies that focus
mainly on the child and
his emotions.
How can I help my child control her behavior?
As the child’s primary caregivers, parents play a major role in behavior therapy.
Parent training is available to help you learn more about ADHD and specific,
positive ways to respond to ADHD-type behaviors. This will help your child improve.
In many cases parenting classes with other parents will be sufficient, but with more
challenging children, individual work with a counselor/coach may be needed.
Taking care of yourself also will help your child. Being the parent of a child with
ADHD can be tiring and trying. It can test the limits of even the best parents. Parent
training and support groups made up of other families who are dealing with ADHD
can be a great source of help. Learn stress- management techniques to help you
respond calmly to your child. Seek counseling if you feel overwhelmed or hopeless.