ADHD:

The average age of children referred for evaluations for attention-deficit disorders is from ages 7-12. Children are usually referred because of behavior problems at home or school and/or underachieving at school. The primary area of difficulty – persistent inattentiveness and impulses - often results in poor academic performance, difficult social relationships, and family tension. As a result, children with ADHD often begin to feel demoralized, and problems with self-esteem frequently emerge.

Struggling with the difficulty of meeting the expectations of their families and their teachers, children with ADHD often develop "myths" to explain their difficulties for themselves. These "myths" often contain messages such as: "I am a bad person"; "I never know what kind of trouble I'm going to get into next"; "I'm bad at school work"; "I cause trouble for my family"; "There is something wrong with my mind"; or "I cannot be trusted". Children with ADHD become accustomed to hearing phrases such as: "If you would only try harder..."; "Why don't you calm down..." and "You're driving me crazy..."

The research suggests that children with ADHD report higher levels of depressive symptoms. This increases the difficulty of making friends. They may believe that they are causing trouble for their families as they often believe that it is their fault when something goes wrong. They tend to think that they do not have good ideas. They may worry a lot and feel left out of things. They may wish that they were different and believe that their families are disappointed in them.

Historically these concerns have been addressed with medications alone. Research suggests that medication alone is little more effective than no medication at all. The most effective mode of treatment is some combination of medication and therapy. Medication, when effective, improves control over behavior and increases attention; however, medication does not address the development of skill deficits brought on by ADHD.

Current research shows that up to half of children with ADHD will continue to have difficulties with inattention, distractibility, and impulsivity for the rest of their lives. Counseling provides the following as a means to address the difficulties of ADHD:

There are also specific treatments for using the method with:

• Relationship: Children with ADHD need an adult who listens to them, recognizes their strengths, and treats them with respect so that they feel unthreatened as they begin to re-evaluate their past experiences with new information about ADHD. They need someone to take the pressure off them and give them a safe environment to try new ways of behaving.

• Education: Counseling demystifies ADHD, informing your child what ADHD is and isn’t. Children with ADHD need to learn that their behaviors are difficult to control, and they need to learn why this happens. This allows them to own and appreciate themselves. Children with ADHD may also need to explore their own sense of shame and/or anger both internally as well as within the relationships with the adults in their lives. They may feel "picked on" at home and at school.

• Strategies: Children with ADHD often need to learn strategies for self-monitoring their attention, organizing school work, completing homework, dealing with parents and teachers, resolving conflict, and dealing with social situations. Children with ADHD may also have concerns about medication and about what the diagnosis of ADHD means for their futures. A primary area of focus when counseling a child with ADHD is social skills. Unfortunately many children with ADHD are viewed by other children as unfriendly, annoying, awkward, domineering, or too aggressive. Counseling helps a child to analyze what specifically is contributing to his or her social difficulties and generate alternative ideas and behavioral strategies to improve social interactions.

• Advocacy: Another key component of counseling for children with ADHD is advocacy. Children with ADHD often feel that they have been treated unfairly and have difficulty trusting or resolving conflict with their parents and teachers. The child has, in the therapist, an adult who can help them to present themselves to their parents and teachers.

Links:
ETT & Trauma: www.adhd.com
The New Power Therapy: ETT - www.healing-arts.com
Lightwork's Website: www.chadd.org.

Recommended Reading:
Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood
Author: Edward M. Hallowell

Answers to Distraction
Author: Edward M. Hallowell

All Kinds of Minds: A Young Student's Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders
Author: Melvin D. Levine

Attention Quiz
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