A lot of parents come to our classes carrying guilt over doing a “lousy job”. They blame themselves for not being “consistent enough in their discipline”. Or simply for being too worn down from repeatedly having to remind, prompt, and direct their child to do things that their three-year-old neighbor has mastered. This class is intended to be a “guilt buster”. We’ll focus on helping you understand the kinds of medical problems that can cause problems of attention and behavioral control. The homework for this class is straightforward: Make sure that your child has been evaluated by their doctor and treated for any of the medical problems that we cover in this class.

Once you are certain that your child’s symptoms are not caused by a medical condition other than ADHD, you’re ready for this class. In this session we talk about the genetic and neurological differences found in children with ADHD. More importantly, we talk about how these differences impact on parenting and learning. You’ll come to understand the answer to the age old mystery “How come my kid can pay attention for hours when they’re interested in something, but only seconds when they’re not” (Hint: It’s not because they’re lazy). At the end of this class, you’ll receive a checklist intended to help you decide on the specific problems that matter most to you. You’ll use this list as a guide as you proceed through our parenting program.

In this class, we describe the different types of medications and how they work. We’ll also describe “non-medication” treatments, including certain supplements, computerized attention training programs, and neurofeedback. The goals of this session is to make sure that you understand your treatment options, and your child is being treated for their ADHD with an intervention that has been found to work. If you ignore the neurological causes of your child’s ADHD, you simply won’t be successful in your use of the strategies found in this program. Charts for monitoring your child’s response to medication, supplements and other treatments are provided.

Even though children and teens have a wide range of food options, they don’t always choose wisely. Most kids and many parents have no idea what kinds of foods can improve our attention. Our experience is that a lot of children with ADHD eat too little protein, consume too little essential fatty acids, and are prone to nutritional deficiencies that can really impact on their attention and mood. In this class, we will talk about ways to help you develop meal plans that provide sufficient protein, essential fatty acids and other nutrients so that your child goes to school able to function and doesn’t come home moody and worn out. Nutritional charts are provided at the end of this class to help you in your planning at home.

Children with ADHD have a “health impairment” that can interfere with learning and the performance of academic tasks, like copying from boards, taking notes, writing down homework assignments, remembering what they read, figuring out how to write an essay, recalling their basic math facts, turning in assignments, and completing tests as quickly as other students. Although not every child with ADHD will need an Individual Education Plan, I simply have never met a child who had ADHD who did not need some type of accommodations and support. In this class, we will discuss the legal “rights” of students with ADHD and the kinds of help they often need. We’ll also talk about computer software that makes reading and writing much, much easier to do. Checklists and sample letters to send to your school district’s special education services department are provided.

In this class we share the types of parenting strategies that have proven to be helpful in motivating children to follow your directions and do what you ask, “The First Time”. In this class you’ll learn about Work for Play, Time Stands Still, Positive Practice, Positive Punishment and the importance of apologizing and “making amends” when you do something wrong. We’ll give you a worksheet and help you practice each of these kinds of skills during this class. We’ll also give you a worksheet to identify the “Top 5 Changes” that you want to work on during this program.

Now that your child is being treated for ADHD, is eating and sleeping better, and plans for getting some help at school are in the works, we can focus on the Top 5 concerns that you have. We’ll help you figure out “what you want your child to learn”, and match your goals with specific teaching approaches and motivational strategies. You’ll also get a behavioral chart to use to keep track of your child’s progress.

Children, teens, and adults with ADHD commonly struggle with at least one of the following three types of emotional problems: outbursts of anger, excessive worry, and depressive reactions. In this class, we discuss strategies to help your child develop emotional control and inhibit impulsive behaviors like interrupting, intruding, and demanding that needs are met immediately.

Babies begin their lives by learning that crying, whining, and screaming work! Unfortunately, many children, teens and adults never grow out of that phase. In this class, we teach the basics of effective problem solving, recognizing that when someone says “NO” to you, there is usually a fear or a need that is getting in the way. The key to solving problems often comes down to learning what those fears or needs are, and respecting the other person enough to take care of those in order to get what you want. Problem solving worksheets are provided.

Chances are that since your child has been born you have spent much (if not all) of your waking hours trying to keep them out of harm’s way, trying to figure out how to help them get organized, stay on top of their responsibilities, remember what he or she has been told, and on and on. In short, you’ve been your child’s “frontal lobe” for as long as your child has been alive. That is a very draining job. In this class, we talk about ways to recharge your emotional battery so that you can stay sane, loving and focused as you work to bring the best out in your child.