Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Archives - Page 10 of 10

ADHD Remediation

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that affects a child’s behaviour or development (learning). ADHD Remediation can be successfully implemented with enough support from family and teachers.

Children with ADHD experience the following difficulties:

1) Impulsivity

These symptoms could include:

-Being impatient

-Being accident-prone

-Talking out of turn.

-Answering before questions have been completed

2) Overactivity

These symptoms could include:

-Restlessness.

-Fidgeting with their hands or feet or squirm in their seat.

-Leaving their seat in the classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected.

3) Inattention:

These symptoms could include:

-Have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.

-Forgetting instructions or not following full instructions.

-Not finishing school work, chores or other duties. (At school or at home)

-Leaving things behind or losing belongings. (Items like school books, clothes, sport equipment etc.)

Children with ADHD struggle with Executive Functioning because some of the main executive functioning skills are responsible for attention and self-regulation.

Example:

1) Working memory- Being able to keep information in mind then using it in some way. A good work example would be your child needs to read a passage, keep information in mind, and use it to answer questions later.

2) Cognitive Flexibility- Being able to think about something in different ways. Answering a maths questions in two different ways.

3) Inhibitory Control- Resisting temptation, and being able to ignore distractions.

How can an ADHD Remediation programme with Catch Up Kids assist your child?

Catch Up Kids is a learning programme which addresses the individualized needs of learners who are struggling academically or falling behind in the classroom. Each child’s programme is tailor-made to meet their specific needs.

We teach children executive function skills such as planning, attention, time management, emotional coping, flexibility, memory, social skills and more. While also adding classroom/homework accommodations to improve and help your child learn easier in any environment he finds himself.

Examples of Classroom or Homework accommodations:

For classroom learning- Provide seat cushions, foot rests or resistance bands on chair legs to help satisfy the need to move around.
For organization- Colour-code material, written schedules for daily routines and using notebooks etc.
Taking tests- Breaking up long assignments into smaller chunks and quieter space for work and tests.
For behaviour- Implementing of a reward system.

We provide:

-Catch Up programme design by your Catch Up Supervisor.

-One on one sessions with a team of well-trained tutors to meet your child’s individual needs.

-School observations and IEP meetings with the school and your Catch Up supervisor.

-Monthly evaluations and progress assessments with your child and the Catch Up tutors.

-Recommendations are made for one on one sessions and/or school facilitation which may occur, at home, school or our Catch Up facilities.

Is your child:

Falling behind in the classroom? Struggling to keep up at playschool/preschool? Or is your attending remedial school or bridging class? We can help!

For more information on ADHD Remediation, please contact the Catch Up Kids Coordinator.

February 21, 2019/by CatchUp Kids

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Schools for ADHD

ADHD Program

ADHD Program for Kids:

What is ADHD?

ADHD is an acronym for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which in layman’s terms is the inability to sustain concentration, regulate emotions, inhibit inappropriate behaviours and impulses.

How will Catch Up Kids develop an ADHD program for kids?

Catch Up Kids has a specific focus on an ADHD program for kids by addressing issues in emotional coping, attention, planning, inhibition, memory, flexibility, self monitoring, time management, meta-cognition, problem solving and social skills.

Parents are required to fill out a parent questionnaire before meeting with supervisors, this will allow for an appropriate representation of challenges faced by both parent and child. After meeting with the parents, supervisors will evaluation the child by typically conducting a school observation in order to identify both strengths and weakness in developing an ADHD program for kids. Supervisors will also conduct an IEP meeting with the school and your Catch Up Supervisor.
Workshop and Catch Up Programme Design – an experienced team of tutors are trained to meet your child’s individual needs. The programme itself is designed by the Catch Up supervisor.

Recommendations are made for one on one sessions and/or school facilitation which may occur at home, at one of our Catch Up facilities, at school or in the community depending on the needs of each child.

Monthly workshop evaluations and progress assessments with your child and the Catch Up tutors and/or monthly or bi-monthly IEP meetings.

How will my child benefit from an ADHD program with Catch Up Kids?

Executive Functioning skills allow individuals to organize and plan their thoughts and actions. Many individuals with ADHD or other learning difficulties lack the ability to self regulate both internally and externally. The purpose of an ADHD program for kids is to better integrate their skills and thoughts as so to prevent the occurrence and frequency of challenging behaviour that are a result of poor or the lack of the ability to self regulate.

Catch Up kids designs programs for children with ADHD that have child specific goals that focus on the following goals;

Inhibition: The ability to inhibit inappropriate thinking, vocal inhibition and non-vocal inhibition such as waiting, standing still (lining up) and not touching under instructions.
Auditory Memory: The ability to follow instructions in a classroom setting with a time delay from the teacher or other instructors.
Working Memory: The manipulation of novel information such as mathematics, and the ability to hold various aspects of information while selecting the most appropriate.
Shifting attention: To block out external stimuli and focus on the task at hand.
Divided attention: Focusing on not loosing or sustaining train of thought.
Self-management: Such as self monitoring; for example, self presentation, expressive behaviour and non-verbal displays of behaviour in a social setting.
Problem solving: Involving both academic and organisational skills.
Meta-memory: Also known as Socratic awareness, involving introspective knowledge of an individual’s memory processes.

February 21, 2019/by CatchUp Kids

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD medication

Catch Up Kids – an alternative to ADHD medication.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not a diagnosis to take lightly as it can affect your child’s academic performance and may lead to academic regression – a sudden decrease in academic performance. According to the DSM – 5, ADHD is divided into 3 criteria (inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity) which affects functioning, and in this case your child’s performance at school. It is at first understandable as a concerned parent to seek out a medical and quick fix solution in a panic, but under closer observation ADHD medication such as the most commonly prescribed ones, Ritalin and Concerta, have serious and often permanent side effects.

According to Medical Doctor (MD) Roy Boorady, some of these side-affects are sleep problems, decreased appetite, delayed growth, headaches and stomach aches, rebound (irritability when the medication wears off), moodiness and irritability, and Tics – a habitual spasmodic contraction of the muscles, most often in the face presenting as twitches.

A healthy alternative to ADHD medication is Applied Behavior Therapy (ABA). ABA is based on the premise that a child will be more inclined to learn and stretch their current academic capabilities if they are motivated by a desirable outcome. In this case the desirable outcome will be a reinforcer – something the child absolutely loves and does not have access to often such as jumping on a trampoline. Catch Up Kids offer Individualised Education Programmes (IEP) that assist your child in eliminating their learning difficulties in a fun and natural way to achieve academic excellence and become confident learners in the classroom. At Catch Up Kids we address issues such as emotional coping, attention, planning, inhibition, memory, flexibility, self-monitoring, time management, meta-cognition, problem solving, social skills and more.

A practical example of how ABA works: if we want to increase your child’s sustained attention, one of our Case Supervisors will take a baseline of how long your child can currently sustain his or her attention, and slowly increase their sustained attention to where it should be. For example, if your child’s current sustained attention is at 3 minutes, the Case Supervisor might put in a 30 second increment target (depending on your child). If your child reaches 3 minutes and 30 seconds they then get access to their reinforcer. Your child will be more motivated to achieve that 30 second increment if they know there is a desired consequence at steak.

If you would like one of Catch Up Kids Case Supervisors to draw up an Individualised Education Programme (IEP) for your child or you would like to find out more information please get in contact www.catchupkids.co.za or 011 440 1666.

February 21, 2019/by CatchUp Kids

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD in Children

When thinking about ADD in children we tend to think that it means that the child can’t focus and ADHD in children that the child really can’t focus. This however is not true at all. ADD and ADHD are merely separated by a timeline and the better understanding of what it actually means.

ADHD includes being inattentive as well as being hyperactive. Stating that these two symptoms are what makes up the classification of ADHD does not mean that both will be present. The current DSM-V distinguishes the disorder by the presence of one or the other, or both. This classification of the disorder and the subtypes are divided further by subcategorising both hyperactivity and inattentiveness into nine possible symptoms for each. The inattentive branch includes symptoms such as: being careless, making mistakes, not listening and being easily distracted. The hyperactivity branch includes symptoms such as: fidgeting, moving around a lot (ant in the pants) and having to physically adjust the location the individual finds themselves at. ADHD in children can only be diagnosed when at least six of the nine symptoms are present, for at least six months and has to have been present between the ages of six to twelve years of age.

The question at the end of this is, what are the chances of progression or at least stability?

You’ll be satisfied to know that through medicinal and behavioural intervention programmes it is possible to progress, gain stability, gain control or even be cured of ADHD in children. The road ahead does not lie empty with challenges, it does not cater for the light-hearted, it does not pretend and does not warn. But at Catch Up Kids we embrace all of these, we need challenges, we don’t want easy as easy never made you learn neither did it make you strong, we never pretend when it comes to the best possible behavioural intervention programme out there, we don’t need warning as we invite a world full of unexpected circumstances. This is what makes the road ahead on we always choose.

Providing comfort through expertise is what makes the “challenge” of a “naughty child” one we wake up every morning wanting to embrace.

ADHD has created a world of opportunity for growth and progression in one where others have seen only the opportunity to discard. It’s easy to label a child with ADHD as one who is impossible to work with and pass them along to the next willing candidate, but so much more rewarding finding an environment which embraces all of the negative and changes it to a positive.

ADHD? We say game on.

February 21, 2019/by CatchUp Kids

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD Help

ADHD help for kids

A parent hears the words: “Your child has ADHD.”

What follows is what does the parent do next. How does one help a child with ADHD?

ADHD help for kids: When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, there are understandable concerns faced by a parent. The first thoughts to follow those of how to best help a child with ADHD, are often those of well-known stimulants and medically prescribed treatments, such as Ritalin. It is important to remember that medication may be the first thought when considering treatment, but it is certainly not the only treatment.

ADHD is a condition which cannot be cured. It can however, be successfully managed. When helping a child with ADHD, considerations with regard to treatments which show effectiveness in assisting a child cope with ADHD, and not only cover up symptoms, must be first taken into account.

By teaching children executive functioning skills such as emotional coping, planning, attention, time management, flexibility, meta-cognition, memory, problem solving, and social skills, children are empowered and better able to successfully manage their ADHD.

In order to empower children and provide them with the skills which are necessary in order for them to keep up with academic and social demands, it is important to look at long-term aspects, rather than short term treatments and medical treatments on their own.

Behavioural therapy, at the level of quality offered at Catch Up Kids, has extremely successful results as a treatment or an intervention, to help a child succeed with their ADHD. Each child’s needs are distinctive and unique, and every child has their own individual set of needs. A learning programme which is tailored to a specific learners needs, is able to address areas which could best help that child and their needs.

By teaching children executive functioning skills such as emotional coping, planning, attention, time management, flexibility, meta-cognition, memory, problem solving, social skills and more, students are empowered to achieve academic excellence and to catch up with their peers.

Remediation programmes that address the specific needs of a child and which are tailored to meet those needs, are extremely effective in helping children with ADHD. A programme such as this needs to be provided by experienced tutors who are trained to meet your child’s individual needs and which are designed by an experienced case supervisor. This method of treatment allows for evaluations and progress assessments to be conducted with a child where recommendations can be made for one on one sessions and/or school facilitation. These may occur at home, at a specialised teaching facility, at school or in the community, depending on the needs of each child.

When considering ADHD help for kids it is vital to think about what would be the most helpful for that specific child in order for the child to develop the skills needed to succeed academically, as well as socially. Any attempt to hide or pretend that the symptoms are present, is not enough to adequately help a child with ADHD. Skill development is something which medications cannot provide and therefore, an effective treatment programme should include skill development and a programme to teach skills to the child, in order to empower the child.

February 18, 2019/by CatchUp Kids