By Fatima Malik
While researching the best psychological treatments for ADHD, as one does casually on a Sunday afternoon, I came across a few different approaches to ADHD in children. Most of which revolved around therapy in combination with medication.
Medication has been a debate for a while. Still, it all boils down to the severity of the symptoms that cause enough disruption to live a simple day-to-day life without incidents/events or feelings causing negative outcomes.
If that is the case, by all means, talk to a doctor about medication. But if the symptoms are manageable, usually therapy works (once again, speak to a doctor for a better understanding of the best course of action.)
ADHD causes low dopamine levels. Dopamine makes us happy. If kids with ADHD cannot be happy with the small things in life that usually work for a brain with healthy dopamine levels, they need the training to manage such a condition.
In addition to medication prescribed by the child’s doctor, psychotherapists and child psychologists play an important role in helping them manage their symptoms.
The therapy they provide teaches these children skills to control their hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention. Some treatments focus on strategies to stay organized and focused, while others aim towards identifying and managing disruptive behaviours.
So children with severe ADHD symptoms can benefit from therapy along with medication; for others, the behavioural therapy and training provided by child psychologists may be enough for them to become well adjusted in school and at home.
One significant advantage of therapy for children with ADHD (whether they take medication or not) is that their training during treatment is like a skill they can implement into their lives whenever needed. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals stop working when they stop taking them, but these skills can not be unlearned and continue to help them as they grow up.
Parent Training
Kids whose impulsive behaviours are getting them into trouble at school and causing conflicts at home can benefit from regular sessions with child psychologists and psychotherapists. It helps them rein in the problematic behaviour and helps them establish positive relationships with the adults in their lives.
This kind of therapy is done in combination with the parents of the child. The parents are also trained in treatment to effectively manage their symptoms if they show up destructively. This training prepares parents to interact differently with children to encourage desirable behaviour and discourage behaviours that cause the home life to resemble a combat zone.
In this sense, professionals train parents in therapy to handle better the situations that occur at home and as the child gets older.
Executive Functioning Therapy
The ADHD brain lacks the control over the ‘ceo’ part of the brain that controls functions like organization, planning, determining consequences, time management etc. Therapy from psychotherapists and child psychologists can help kids make systematic changes in their lives to gain skills to help them become more organized, plan out the future and forecast related outcomes for their actions.
These skills are essential for a brain that can not self-regulate. It’s easy to fall into old patterns if these skills aren’t learned early on. Support from family and teachers is essential in establishing these skills by using checklists, planners, and reward charts for making plans and staying on track.
This also means that this is a lot of work for the parents and the teachers working with children with ADHD, but once a child is diagnosed with ADHD, this is what their life entails. As adults in the lives of these children, the best we can do is give them the tools and skills to succeed despite their diagnosis.
The LEPS Treatment at Positive Kids implements these therapies and works alongside the child’s doctors and teachers to provide a holistic treatment, above and beyond medication.
Therapists are readily available in most major cities across Canada with offices in Toronto, London, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax etc.
Not sure how best to treat your child with ADHD? Call us 1-866-503-7454
