A recent article in ADDitude magazine suggests that behavioral parent training (BPT) is beneficial to treat a child’s ADHD, improve family relationships and boost the child’s social skills.  Essentially, BPT helps parents and caregivers develop house rules and procedures that help everyone.  BPT can be completed in a group or individually with a psychologist.

Some of the focuses of parent training are:

• Catch the child being good by noticing and rewarding appropriate behavior
• Create a daily routine, with rules about doing homework, bedtime, getting ready for school in the morning and other key moments of the day
• Give your child specific rather than general directions (i.e. “Put all of your clothes away” rather than “clean up your room”)
• Minimize distractions in your home, thus minimizing choices to avoid overwhelming choices
• Create an organized home
• Help your child break down large tasks and set small, achievable goals that add up to a large accomplishment
• Establish age-appropriate rewards and discipline

Read more about Child and Family Development psychological services here.