by Dannett Frey

Created on: December 30, 2008

Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosed in a child or teenager is a disorder that can be managed with the proper medication and therapeutic interventions. Simply prescribing a medication is not enough to enable a child to live their fullest life with this diagnosis. A child or teenager needs to have therapeutic interventions along with the medication to build the skills necessary to succeed.

Medication is the first step in the treatment. It will allow the chemistry in the brain to be regulated and the child be able to learn the skills necessary to succeed in school, at home and eventually in the workplace. Does the word "therapeutic interventions" intimidate you? It shouldn't. Therapeutic Interventions simply mean teaching the child the skills he or she needs to succeed in school, at home, and their futures. Due to the previous chemical imbalance, the child may not have been able to learn the skills others his own age have learned. A concentration of efforts to learn these skills is put into effect by the family, school, and in many cases a community support worker and case manager. Even if you do not go the route to receive services from a case manager or community support worker, you can implement these skills in your childs routine.

A child with ADD or ADHD suffers from poor attention to details, difficulty sustaining attention, unable to listen when spoken to directly, difficulty organizing tasks, loses items of importance due to lack of attention, fidgets and has excessive energy. The skills the child needs to learn will cover the areas listed above as well as others not mentioned but often found in the child.

Possible skills and an example of how to implement the skill:

* Accepting "NO" Answers-Tell the child that when you say the word no, the child cannot ask questions as to why no was said. Make about 20 questions that are silly that the child will have to ask and you give a no answer too. "Can I ride on the back of a porcupine?" "NO". When you practice with the child to accept silly questions with the answer no, you are telling him that there are real reasons why no needs to be accepted. You are also telling the child that you have the authority in the relationship to say no and the child does not need to always challenge the answer no. *Please note, the child needs to be taught that they have the right to say no in the event of someone harming them. This is a separate issue and needs to be practiced

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