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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Tips for Parents and Teachers

Summary & Participants

Every parent wants their child to be well-behaved. But when a child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, conventional approaches to teaching good behavior may not work. We look at parenting and teaching strategies that can make a difference.

Medically Reviewed On: July 14, 2008

Webcast Transcript

LISA CLARK: Welcome and thanks for joining us. I’m Lisa Clark. All children know that good behavior will earn them a gold star or an A in school. But how do parents and educators help children with behavioral problems caused by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? With an estimated 3-5 percent of school age kids suffering from ADHD, it's a real concern.

Today we'll take a look at some behavioral techniques that can help make a real difference in your child's life. And joining our discussion are two experts in the ADHD field. Dr. Patricia Quinn; she is a Developmental Pediatrician in private practice in Washington, D.C. And Dr. Peter Jensen, a Professor of Child Psychiatry at Columbia University in New York.

One thing we should mention is that medication is probably the first line of treatment that a doctor will suggest with ADHD. But what other components increase the effectiveness of the medication, Dr. Jensen?

DR. PETER JENSEN: Well we know that when you add behavior therapy to medication, we often get a little more bang for the buck. Parents really like it; teachers like it. And it often helps some other areas of the child's functioning, like self-esteem and social skills. It's basically a little reward system. And like you said, it's a little star—it's a gold star. It might literally be gold stars, but it might be also other rewards or consequences the child might actually have a role in selecting that he or she would want to actually work for and earn.

LISA CLARK: Dr. Quinn, in your practice you've talked about patients who come in and they say that they just feel like they're bad all the time. How do you help them get past those feelings of negativity with behavioral therapy?

DR. PATRICIA QUINN: Well Lisa, nothing succeeds like success. So what we try to do with these kids is, first of all, explain what the disorder is about. But then work with their parents on teaching them skills, on teaching them new behaviors in place of the old ones. For example, medication will help a child pay attention, but it doesn't teach them a new skill. He may bite other children. On medication, he's not impulsive and no longer bites other kids, but he doesn't know what to do instead in order to join in. So what we try to do then is work on various skills. And we can do that by working with the parents on helping them with a behavior management program.

LISA CLARK: I've heard that the Three C's are what's important in any behavioral program. Clarity of expectations, consistency of the direction and follow through, and calmness. Dr. Jensen, talk about how a parent or a teacher might implement these Three C's for a child

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