A great deal of research
has gone into exploring treatments for types of ADHD. If your child or someone you know has been
diagnosed with ADHD, you may be wondering what you can do to help make his /her
home life more manageable. More
importantly, how will this disorder affect the entire family? Also, parents may
be wondering, how do I explain this to my child? Receiving the proper support from licensed professionals
is the key to success in a home affected with ADHD. Once a professional has been selected,
treatment options will be discussed, and a program that suits your child’s ADHD
subtype (ADHD-I, ADHD-HI, or ADHD-C) will be applied.
As the most common type of
ADHD today is the combined type (ADHD-C), this article will explore parental involvement
and different treatments that have been successful in some case studies. To begin, following are two short videos
providing some background on ADHD in family settings. The second video, a cartoon about what it
feels like to have ADHD, can be viewed with your child.
A main treatment in
patients with ADHD is medical therapy.
This includes a number of different types of medicines, including the
most commonly prescribe list of stimulants.
However medications, in combination with alternative or complementary
treatments, have proven to be more successful in managing symptoms. As medical therapy is such a controversial topic,
and the long-term effects of prolonged use are concerning (Harrison, 2004),
some parents have decided to eliminate medication and totally replace them with
alternative medicine.
Types of alternative
medicine utilized recently are Neurofeedback, Yoga Meditation, and Behaviour management
programs at home. In a study completed
in early 2000, Sahaja Yoga Meditation was successful in improving the patients
self-esteem in social surroundings, and parents reported happier, less stressed
children that were able to concentrate for longer periods of time and slept
well (Harrison, 2004). Following is a
short video about the Sahaja Yoga Meditation.
A recent case study of sixty-nine
students ranging in ages from seven to eleven years old presented several different complementary treatments and therapy.
Within the therapy, patients were taken through several modules, which
included home action plans. Once the
plans were initiated at home, a weekly followup therapy session was attended by
both the patients and the families.
These modules focused on academic independence skills, study and
organizational habits training, and confidence in social interaction. In addition to the modules, parents attended therapy
sessions, where they were instructed on reward and positive consequences,
teaching effective routines, planning activities, providing explicit
directions, using pertinent negative consequences, and how to change environments
to promote attention and adaptive functioning. They were also provided with
training for using a token economy at home, which is useful in targeting specific behaviours. The results of the study showed a remarkable
increase in attention and a decrease in hyperactive behaviour. Parents and teachers also noted the patients
seemed more focused and organized (Pfiffner, Mikami, Huang-Pollock, Easterlin,
Zalecki, & Mcburnet 2007).
Following are a series of
short videos on techniques applied in the home.
Token Economy
4 tips for parents with
ADHD
Homework tips
With the help of professionals, and the intervention
treatments (medicated or alternative), it is important for parents, teachers,
friends and family to interact together effectively. The following video describes how children of
ADHD carry this life-long disability with them and learn to cope with it. also
includes some details about how the brain of an ADHD student may focus. Remember, all patients with ADHD will develop
differently. Through the support of caring individuals, a
child living with ADHD will have the keys to be successful into adulthood.
References
AttentionTalkVideo.
[attentiontalkvideo]. (2012, December 10). 4 Tips for Parents to Impact Their
child’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [Video file]. Retrieved
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Qq71S_cK4
AttentionTalkVideo.
[attentiontalkvideo]. (2013, September 2). ADHD Homework Tip: Write it, Check
it, Good [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3D9IBlP09c
Harrison, L. (2004). Sahaja Yoga Meditation As A Family
Treatment Programme For Children With Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. Clinical
Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 9(4), 479-497. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
Pfiffner, L., Mikami, A., Huang-Pollock, C., Easterlin, B.,
Zalecki, C., & Mcburnett, K. (2007). A Randomized, Controlled Trial of
Integrated Home-School Behavioral Treatment for ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive
Type. Journal
of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(8), 1041-1050. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
rctctom.
[rctctom]. (2009, September 1). ADHD a Family Problem [Video
file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_jCG9gNbcw
Sahaja Yoga Meditation and Indian Classical Music.
[clacsanzky77]. (2008, September 24). Meditations as Treatment for ADHD,
ABC News [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OI7gYMk1IA
Santacroce, Melisa.
[Melisa Santacroce].
(2014, September 21). Token
Economy At Home [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7Ro1PUJmE
ted.com/tedx.
[tedtalks]. (2014, July 3). Living with ADHD in the Age of
Information and Social Media,Theo Siggelakis, TEDxQuinnipiacU [Video file].
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0hY5TYVv_s
www.adhdvoices.com.
[ADHDVoices]. (2012, October 14). What’s it Like to Have ADHD [Video
file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7Ro1PUJmE
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