Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD have difficulty sitting still, maintaining attention and behaving appropriately. These problems are not due to the child's being willful, but rather are symptoms of a neurological disorder. Parents, therapist and authority figures who successfully help their hyperactive children use a number of different tools to to manage hyperactive behaviors.
Medication
Stimulants are commonly used to treat hyperactivity in children with ADHD. Just as coffee, a common stimulant, helps an adult focus better when taking at an optimum dose, carefully regulated and controlled stimulant medications help hyperactive children calm down. These medications should be prescribed and monitored by a physician. If stimulant medications are not an option, your doctor can recommend other medications such as antidepressants can be prescribed. Side effects such as loss of appetite, jitters and anxiety should be reported immediately to the prescribing physician.
Behavior Modification
Behavior modification is a method of shaping behavior through rewarding positive behaviors while ignoring or punishing negative behaviors. Giving hyperactive children positive attention when they are behaving appropriately is a very effective tool to help hyperactive children. Positive attention can include smiles, hugs, verbal praise or spending time with children. Ignoring negative behavior is another behavioral modification technique that is effective at decreasing hyperactivity because the child will learn that being hyperactive is not an efficient way to garner attention.
Coaching
A coach helps a child with ADHD set and attain personal goals through breaking down larger goals into more manageable steps, reminding the child what she needs to accomplish at each step and encouraging each effort. The coach teaches the ADHD child how to organize work, improve social skills and monitor and change impulsive behaviors. Families with children with ADHD can hire a professional coach, or they can all help coach the ADHD child.
Biofeedback
Children using biofeedback learn about their brain activity through monitoring brain waves with an EEG. By practicing relaxation and breathing techniques, children learn to control their brain waves to slow and calm themselves. An article published in the June 2005 edition of the journal, "Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback," reviews research demonstrating that biofeedback is an effective tool used to help children with ADHD. Biofeedback is an effective tool as an adjunct to other therapies or as a standalone alternative if medication, behavioral modification or coaching are ineffective.
References
- Kids Health: What is Hyperactivity?
- National Institute of Mental Health: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- "Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback"; Electroencephalographic Biofeedback in the Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; V. Monastra, et al,; June 2005
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; Behavior Modification in the Treatment of ADHD; S. Eyberg, et al.;
- ADHD Support: ADHD Coaching
