Behavior therapy and ADHD

attention deficit disorder is attendance-deficit Hyperactivity disarray which is a biopsychosocial dis regulate or neuro appearanceal worry characterized by numerous problems including hyperactivity, slackness and impulsivity. These problems pose a lot of difficulties in learning at school, home, at give out and in births. About 3%-5% of children argon ab practice by this problem out of which 30%-70% continue to show symptoms level to adulthood (Curtis, 2008).The symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder be of three personas. One is having attention deficiencies in that the affected person is distracted very easily and as well exhibits difficulties focusing on a offendn task.Secondly, the patient is prone to doing things before thinking close the consequences or the impacts they would have on themselves and the people around them. For instance, becoming in like manner angry than the situation c onlys for, laughing or talking too loud, teens an d adults whitethorn hurriedly make decisions that would impact the rest of their lives electronegatively like expense money recklessly. The third type of symptom is hyperactivity in which affected children whitethorn fidget, run around at conflicting terms or sophisticate while adults and teens be restless and atomic number 18 unable to enjoy their soundless eons or studying (Curtis, 2008).ADHD ca hires freighter be attributed to biological, social, experiential and substantial genetic factors. The rehearse of medicament for treating this condition is non without estimable font effects. By adopting mienal courtes, the myriad of ch entirelyenges faced by the affected children such(prenominal) as school failure, school drop out, behavioral disorders, depression, relationship and vocational problems keister be signifi abidetly reduced and eventually overcome kinda of relying on medications which only add much problems by causing serious view effects and whose long term outcome poses a terror to the life of the patient.Moreover, whether a child is affected by ADHD or non, such problems associated with ADHD may still be evident in psychologically healthy children. This news report exit discuss how lack of adequately monitoring and controlling behavioral patterns at early childhood has way outed in m all parents branding their children ADHD affected. It will show how behavioral strategies can be used extensively to deal with behavioral problems which may be mistakenly associated ADHD.Instead of using medications which ground more harm to the children to whom they are prescribed, the paper will justify by use of real and interoperable examples of some other approaches which if well use would put across the harms of relying on medicine. 2. 0 Why medication is not a remedy for treating ADHD Though there are several documented benefits associated with using stimulant medication for treating ADHD, it has not offered a complete remedy due to a number of fences.It is first of all worth noting that the side effects caused by this medication impedes its administration on a prolonged basis and secondly no real benefits are accrued from medication for up to 20% of children claimed to be affected by ADHD (Rabiner, 2009). Another thing is that ADHD has primary symptoms in adjunct to other associated problems which cannot be alleviated by medication and accordingly the take up for employing other means. In addition, some children and umpteen a(prenominal) teenagers are powerfully remote to victorious medicine which creates more problems when they are forced to take the medication.Moreover, concern of children behavior can be strongly through with(p) even without the use of medication especially when the symptoms are relatively mild. This can be done through strategies such as positive reinforcement and penalisation. 2. 1 aspect effects of stimulant medications A stimulant is the putting greenly used type of medic ation whose action produces a calming effect on the patient. some other medications are non-stimulants and their mode of action differs from that of the stimulants. There are several side effects caused by the use of stimulants in treating ADHD.The common ones are rest problems, decreased appetite, irritability, and anxiety in addition to few cases of headaches and stomachaches. There are also other side effects which are less common including some children developing sudden sounds or repetitive movements known as tics and change in personality in which some children appear to be without emotions (nimh. nih. gov, 2009). The US Food and Drug Administration have also warned against likely side effects which though rare may cause disgraceful consequences. It has pointed that the use of ADHD medication may cause psychiatrical or possible cardiovascular problems.The medication-related psychiatric problems include becoming suspicious without any reason, hallucinations, hearing voices and becoming manic even among patients with no history of psychiatric complications. In addition, atomoxetine as one of ADHD medication has been found to cause increased suicidal thoughts in teenagers and children who take the medication than those who do not take it (nimh. nih. gov, 2009). Other non-medical treatment measures are therefore no precariousness necessary to combat ADHD in a more safe, effective and easy way. 3. 0 Behavioral treatment for ADHDThis is also referred to as behavior management or behavior therapy whose basis of operation is pegged to the simple consciousness of why children would want to sway or act in a socially acceptable manner. There are three reasons for this one creationness that children are inclined towards pleasing their parents by doing the right things and through this they line up keen about themselves when the parents commend and applaud their positive behavior. This is because children are strongly motivated when the relationship with their parents is positive.Another reason is that children want to behave well so as to benefit from the positive consequences that rewards and privileges associated with good behavior. The last basic reason is that children would want to avoid the repercussions of acting in get hold ofly such as being punished. Therefore, behavior therapy endeavors in enhancing the desire to embrace commendable behavior by all children whether affected with ADHD or not in order to beguile their parents and also to get positive consequences by behaving correctly.At the same cadence, malapropos behavior is suppressed and highly discouraged by creating an environment which guarantees negative consequences later on displaying undesirable behavior (Rabiner, 2009). Lack of meeting of this important opinion has resulted in many parents making incorrect decisions such as taking their children to psychiatrists who may prescribe medicine for ADHD only to cause health problems to the children who are a bsolutely normal.Through the efforts of parents and their children, the tools of this approach can be effectively applied to do away with such predicaments and unwarranted over reliance on medicine since the practicability of the method carries no doubt. There are divers(prenominal) tools that are essential for positive behavior outcome to be achieved. 3. 1 Positive Reinforcement This is based on the understanding that children would be motivated to behave positively if by doing this there is a reward or positive consequences to be gained.This therefore calls for the parent to devise means of increase the frequency of good behavior by simply offering a reward when the child displays good behavior. The parent ought to be keen on noticing the desired behavior such as putting away toys or playing quietly and not hesitating to comment on the behavior. This approach also entails helping the child to understand what the parent wants him or her to do and ensuring that positive comments or praise is directed to the child every m the behavior occurs.The logic behind these social rewards is that the desire of the child to behave well is enhanced by realizing that the parents are keen to notice and prize them (Rabiner, 2009). This keeps at bay defiant or undesirable behavior for which close to may be tempted to contemplate using medicine. Apart from social rewards, substantial rewards are a form of positive reinforcement. Parents should be enthusiastic to give tokens or privileges to children whether affected with ADHD or not every succession positive behavior occurs. This enhances compliance and obedience to requests make by parents.For instance, a parent can explain to a child that each time a request is obeyed, a point is earned. The accumulated points can indeed be used to obtain a privilege such as access to computer time. 3. 2 Punishing appropriately Punishment is an appropriate system to use especially when the behavior is as a result of direct non-complia nce or violation of rules. However, penalization cannot be done in solidarity and expect that it will change the long term behavior of children whether ADHD affected or not. Rather, it should always be accompanied with a managing strategy so as to precipitate the anticipated results.The logic behind punishment is that every time a certain behavior is accompanied with arranged negative consequences, the frequency and intensity with which it will occur over time will diminish and eventually disappear. The child should be made to understand that every time the behavioral expectations are not met, negative consequences are always the result and that bad behavior has absolutely no pay-off. galore(postnominal) parents have failed to apply this important approach resulting in a organize in inappropriate behavior and poor performance in academics by many children.Due to this kind of reluctance on the side of the parent, many normal children have continuously displayed defiance and many have resulted into using major tranquilizer medicine on these children in an effort to curb the problem. Punishment is critical in stopping negative behavior and can take many forms such as reprimands, detention, criticism, extra work, and corporal punishment (kidscoinsproductions. com, n. d). The divers(prenominal) forms of punishment should be used interchangeably so that if one fails to give the expect change, a different one is employed.3. 3 Response cost techniques This refers to different forms of punishment in which the likelihood of losing what has already been earned is determined altogether by the mode of behavior or conduct of a child. Parents with children displaying inappropriate behavior can apply this practical approach to influence their behavior instead of making the conclusion that ADHD is the problem. Its effectiveness is as good as those of giving social and tangible rewards but is especially commensurate when used in older children and teens.An example woul d be to start up by giving the whole token say $5 at the start of the week instead of giving it at the end of the week after the child has behaved as expected. This allowance may be placed someplace in a transparent vessel and a promise made to the child that as long appropriate behavior is maintained end-to-end the agreed time period, all the $5. 00 belongs to the child. Whenever the child violates the agreed upon set of rules, a dollar is removed from the vessel and this continues to the end of the week upon which the child gets whatsoever is remaining (Goldstein, 1999).This is a good way of making the child work hard to maintain appropriate behavior so as not to lose the already available reward. 3. 4 Special time Children sometimes find themselves having frustrations caused different challenges they face at school or even at home which can easily jeopardize the good relationship amid them and their parents. The frustrations can also be caused by mood swings or being disappo inted with friends which thus does not mean that they are having ADHD.These frustrations can create feelings of anger and trigger conflicts which only put the children-parent relationship at risk with the good times completely dwindling if the situation is not strategically contained. With the understanding of how behavior therapy works, parents can capitalize on the pictorial inclination of children to please their parents when relationships are positive. This calls for the creation of a special time program whose entire focus is mending the badly affected feelings between parent and child.The parent can allocate at least 30 minutes everyday which is designated special time for the child during which the child can choose the desirable activity which must be commensurate with the adjudicate of the program (Rabiner, 2009). The parent ought not to give commands or ask a lot of questions during this time and the whole focus should be having quality time with the child. The parent sho uld tune into the activity of the child in a complementary and interested manner such that the child will become more motivated to carry on with the activity.The parent should express the feelings of being gratify by for instance commenting positively on the efforts of the child. With time, the natural inclination to please the parent will find its way in and the child will now focus on doing it right and avoiding anything that would displease the parent. Through this, edge setting and discipline is done with ease. 3. 5 Non-Compliance vs. Incompetence Children whether having ADHD or not may display non-compliance to given rules or instructions and therefore there needs to be effective means of dealing with this problem as early as possible in the life of the child.The silk hat way to overcome non-compliance is through manipulating and applying different consequences with the most effective being that of negative consequences through different forms of punishment. On the other han d, children who display incompetence for instance in understanding academic concepts in school should be helped through intensive skill building and educational training. Such children should also be allowed to make choices of what activity they feel they are capable of excelling in. This calls for the parents and teachers to be highly observant and assist the children to make the appropriate choices.This will eliminate the misplaced thoughts in such children that they are incapable of performing which is a source of depression and hopelessness which creates more defiant behavior. Instead of hastening to use medicine with the notion that ADHD has clipped in, such practical approaches are the best since they help avoid the harms associated with using drugs. 4. 0 Conclusion ADHD may be a disorder which is in existence or not but either way, lack of proper use of practical means to ensure sustainable appropriate behavior has resulted in many kids in the US being labeled ADHD-affected.T he consequences of using medication to rectify behavior and school performance have only created more problems than solutions which allude that the right approaches are not yet exploited. Behavioral therapy as unlike to chemotherapy ought to be upheld and strategies like punishment properly used by parents and teachers. Assumptions that all behavioral problems emanate from a mental disorder should not be made. References Curtis, J. (2008). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder What It Is and Who Is Affected. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http//www. health. com/health/condition-article/0,,20251884,00. hypertext markup language Goldstein, S.(1999). The Facts About ADHD. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http//www. samgoldstein. com/ leaf node/21 kidscoinsproductions. com. (n. d). Designing a Behavioural Modification Program. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http//www. kidscoinsproductions. com/Research/Behavioural_mgt. htm nimh. nih. gov. (2009). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorde r (ADHD). Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http//www. nimh. nih. gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index. shtml Rabiner, D. (2009). Behavioral Treatment for ADHD An Overview. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http//www. athealth. com/Consumer/farticles/Rabiner. html