SESSION 1

2. SESSION 1 Understanding ADHD

3. TIME OUT FOR PARENTS AIMS TO: • better understand ADHD and its affects on your child • enable you to better manage your child’s behaviour • increase your confidence in the skills and abilities to ‘parent’ • develop an even better relationship between you and your child

4. TIME OUT FOR PARENTS AIMS TO: • teach skills for helping to raise children’s self-esteem • work out the best way to effectively discipline your child • to provide greater support where you would like it

5. SESSION PLAN • What is ADHD? • Social, emotional, physical and academic difficulties • How the ADHD brain works • Attention deficit behaviours

6. WHAT IS ADHD? • ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder • ADD = Attention Deficit Disorder • Hyperkinetic disorder • Deficiency in attention motor control and perception (DAMP)

7. THE HISTORY OF ADHD • 1945 Heinrich Hoffman first described ADHD behaviours. • 1987 American Psychiatric Association uses the term attention hyperactive disorder.

8. ADHD BEHAVIOURS • Inattentive • Hyperactive • Impulsive

9. SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND ACADEMIC DIFFICULTIES

10. HOW THE ADHD BRAIN WORKS

11. THE PRINCIPLE CHOICE OF PARENTS OF ADHD CHILDREN • Accept the condition • Come to terms with specific difficulties that won’t change and work round them • Help the child feel a valued member of the family OR • Make no allowances • Be critical and hostile • Apply more and more force

12. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Reinhold Niebuhr

13. BREAK

14. ATTENTION DEFICIT BEHAVIOURS • Inattention • Poor short term memory • Disorganisation

15. ATTENTION DEFICIT BEHAVIOURS • Did you realise they were part of ADHD? • Which behaviours do you find the hardest to manage?

16. ADHD IS A ‘HIDDEN DISABILITY’

17. “Children who suffer from ADD usually have normal or above normal intelligence. They possess the potential to learn but the immature chemical and metabolic system in their brain means they often have little control over their symptoms. They may try very hard to do the right thing, but struggle because they don’t have the self-control to manage things other people usually take for granted.” Dr Harry Nash

18. REFLECTION • Started to understand what ADHD is and how the ADHD brain works • Thought about what it is like to have a child with ADHD and the behaviours that are associated with the condition

19. REFLECTION • We have a choice to either accept or reject the condition and this will affect the way we deal with our child’s behaviour • Considered some of the social, emotional, physical and academic difficulties that a child with ADHD will have and thought about some ways we can help

20. FOCUS FOR THE WEEK • Write down 10 things you love about your child and tell them • Keep an account of how many negative things you say to your child this week and make sure you say at least as many positive things

21. NEXT WEEK We will look at attention deficit behaviour management strategies, hyperactive behaviours and strategies to help these

22. SESSION 2 Managing hyperactive behaviours

23. SESSION PLAN • Behaviour management strategies • Hyperactive behaviour • Managing hyperactive behaviour

24. BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Unfortunately there is no magic solution for parenting a child with ADHD

25. PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT • Routines • Consistent rules • Giving clear instructions

26. HYPERACTIVE BEHAVIOURS

27. BREAK

28. MANAGING HYPERACTIVE BEHAVIOURS • Routines • Consistent rules • Giving clear instructions • Daily activities to increase alertness and to calm • Reward good behaviour • Don’t reward undesirable behaviour

29. ‘DRIVEN BY A MOTOR’

30. YOUR CHILD’S ‘ENGINE SPEED’

31. SLEEP Keep a track of your child’s sleep patterns and problems

32. REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOUR Children with ADHD need lots of praise!

33. DON’T REWARD UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOUR

34. RELAXATION Practice relaxation with your child and you both benefit!

35. REFLECTION • People with ADHD have difficulty filtering out irrelevant information • We have learnt the importance of routines, consistent rules, clear commands, rewarding good behaviour and not rewarding undesirable behaviour • We have tried one method of helping our child and ourselves to relax

36. FOCUS FOR THE WEEK • Note the hyperactive behaviours that are of particular concern • Identifying strategies you might be able to use to manage them

37. NEXT WEEK We will look at impulsive behaviours and strategies to help with this

38. SESSION 3 Managing impulsive behaviours

39. SESSION PLAN • Impulsive behaviours • Managing impulsive behaviours • Demands and anger • Treatment options • Thinking positively

40. BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT AT SCHOOL Children with ADHD need predictability, structure, short work periods, more individual instruction and positive reinforcement

41. IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOURS Someone who has ADHD often says or does the first thing which comes into their head

42. THE ADHD BRAIN Cerebral cortex Thinking Limbic system (Thalamus amygdala) Emotion Emotional – Thinking Link

43. UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT

44. MANAGING IMPULSIVE BEHAVOUR • Routines • Consistent rules • Giving clear instructions • Daily activities to increase alertness and to calm • Reward good behaviour • Don’t reward undesirable behaviour • Plan ahead • Consequences and sanctions

45. PLAN AHEAD

46. CONSEQUENCES AND SANCTIONS Children with ADHD don’t learn easily from consequences

47. BREAK

48. MANAGING CONSTANT DEMANDS AND ANGER “No” “Stop” “Don’t touch”

49. THE ANGER CYCLE

50. BOTTLED UP