Behavior Therapy for ADD/ADHD in Children

Behavioral therapy, as the name implies, is a technique designed to modify behavior. Behavioral therapy is beneficial for any child with disciplinary problems, and this therapy is sometimes appropriate for children with ADHD. For example, behavioral therapy can be used for organizing schoolwork, doing chores, or dealing with frustration.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that, in some cases, behavioral treatments for ADHD are particularly effective for children suffering from the condition. One key difference with an ADHD child is that behavioral therapy is more successful when parents try to modify only one behavior at a time. In doing so, the chief goal of behavioral therapy is to increase the frequency of good behavior and decrease the frequency of undesirable behavior. To achieve this goal, behavioral therapy uses a system of rewards and negative consequences.

First, positive feelings are enhanced between the parent and the child. Parents set aside a certain amount of time each day, such as 30 minutes, to bond with the child. During the child’s “special time," the parent focuses solely on having fun with the child by allowing the child to choose an activity to do together. The goal of “special time" is to make the child more motivated in pleasing the parent and behaving properly.

The second step is positive reinforcement. Parents use rewards to encourage good behavior. For example, when a child completes his or her chores and homework, positive reinforcement might be time on the computer or watching TV.

The third step is negative consequences for misbehavior. The “punishment" for bad behavior might be time-out in a quiet room (to calm down) or withholding privileges.

Finally, as parents use behavioral therapy with their children, it’s important to stay calm and be consistent. ADHD children are very sensitive to their parents’ stress. ADHD children also do best when they know exactly what will happen in any given situation, which means parents must remain committed to behavioral therapy in all situations.