ADHD Experts

ADHD Experts

There is often a lack of awareness or knowledge to who or what can help certain disorders or difficulties, namely ADHD. Parents have become quick to put their child on medicine such as Ritalin or Concerta immediately upon hearing of a diagnosis on ADHD in hopes that they will extinguish and fully manage it. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has many faces and one of its mains effects is in the education sector. On the same lines of this, is the question of “who are and are there any ADHD experts that can help my child without them being on any form of medication?” which is along the same lines of the other question, “Can these ADHD experts really help my child?”

ADHD’s definition includes the following: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition that involves problems with inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity that are developmentally inconsistent with the age of the child (Education, 2003). Children with ADHD typically exhibit behavior that is classified into two main categories: poor sustained attention and hyperactivity-impulsiveness (Education, 2003). A crucial aspect of ADHD is the diagnosis of it which can be extremely complicated. This complication can include behavioural, medical, and educational data gathering (Education, 2003). According to Education (2003), “one important component of the diagnosis includes an examination of the child’s history through comprehensive interviews with parents, teachers, and health care professionals. Interviewing these individuals determines the child’s specific behaviour characteristics, when the behaviour began, duration of symptoms, whether the child displays the behaviour in various settings, and coexisting conditions.”

Now that one ADHD expert has found the diagnosis, the next question is finding an ADHD expert that can fix the diagnosis or simply help to manage it in a better way. There are many different types of ADHD experts but one extremely efficient one that comes to mind is a Behaviour Analyst, implementing behavioural approaches. These approaches are used in the treatment of ADHD to provide structure for the child and to reinforce appropriate behaviour (Education, 2003). These approaches can be run across many ADHD experts including a Behaviour Analyst, a Board certified Autism Technician, parents as well as a wide range of professionals, such as psychologists, school personnel, community mental health therapists, and primary care physicians (Education, 2003). Of all of these, an extremely effective ADHD expert which is that of a Behaviour Analyst that uses behavioural approaches may include some of the following in their work:  behavioural training for parents and teachers (in which the parent and/or teacher is taught child management skills), a systematic program of contingency management (e.g. positive reinforcement, “time outs,” response cost, and token economy), clinical behavioural therapy (training in problem solving and social skills), and cognitive-behavioural treatment (e.g., self-monitoring, verbal self instruction, development of problem-solving strategies, self-reinforcement) (Education, 2003).

Catch Up Kids has a host of certified behaviour analysts who can help your child in all of the above-mentioned ways.