  ttention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity
Child Development Clinic
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Behavior Management Training
Staff & Location
When Your Child Is Sick . . .
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a developmental disorder that is comprised of deficits in sustained attention, impulse control, and the regulation of activity level to situational demand. It is sometimes overlooked as a diagnosis because it commonly occurs with behavior problems and/or learning disabilities. AD/HD is estimated to affect between 3 and 5 percent of the population and is diagnosed three times more frequently in males than in females.
There is no single cause for AD/HD. It appears to have a strong biological basis and is likely to be inherited in many cases. Very frequently more that one child will be affected, as will one or both of the parents.
Research indicates that the basis for these problems is a deficiency of chemicals in the brain which are responsible for transferring messages to the parts of the brain that control planning, organizing, focusing attention, goal setting, and activity control.
Diagnosis
AD/HD is more easily identified in the hyperactive child who never sits still and is constantly disruptive at home and in the classroom. AD/HD is more difficult to diagnose when the symptoms are subtle and show up only as a child’s poor grades despite much work and effort.
Living in a family where AD/HD is present and untreated becomes very stressful. The functioning of the entire family may deteriorate. The satisfaction derived, however, from successfully parenting a child with ADHD is tremendous if the disorder is identified and a plan of action put into place to manage the disorder. These children often possess exceptional creativity, a sense of individuality and a genuine concern for others.
Team Work
The Child Development Clinic has a team of qualified healthcare providers to evaluate your child and to provide an individualized care plan that involves medical, behavioral and educational components.
A team effort is necessary for success. A registered nurse fulfills the role of team leader and case manager. The medical staff, composed of a pediatrician and family practice physician, provide medical consultation. A psychologist and educational consultant complete the clinic team. The most important team members, however, are your child and you. Rounding out the team are your child’s teachers, and school nurse, as well as school counselors and the school psychologist if they have been involved.
Medication may be ordered to help your child focus attention and stay on task. It will not control behavior or improve your child’s social skills. Educational classes for the child and parent will assist in your understanding and management of AD/HD. Clinic staff can provide information regarding availability of these classes.
Management of AD/HD
At the Child Development Clinic we take the management of AD/HD very seriously. There is no “quick fix.” Medication alone is not the answer. Individual and family empowerment is the means to success.
Parenting the AD/HD child requires courage, commitment and patience that can seem overwhelming even to the most dedicated. When children mature in an understanding and supportive environment, their capacity for becoming successful, fulfilled and productive individuals is enhanced. We will assist you with the knowledge, skills and encouragement that will help you help your child become a successful adult.
Characteristics of AD/HD
- Poor sustained attention or persistence of effort to tasks
- Impaired impulse control or ability to delay gratification
- Excessive task-irrelevant activity or activity poorly regulated to situational demands
- Deficient rule-following
- Greater than normal variability during task performance
- Early onset of the major characteristics
- Situational variability back
Medical Directors
Herbert Menendez, MD, Pediatrics
Linda Myers, MS, RN, Clinic Coordinator, Board Certified Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse
Child Development Clinic
Kishwaukee Healthcare Building
2727 Sycamore Road
DeKalb , IL 60115
(815) 748-2957
Behavior Management Training
All children fail to follow rules or don’t mind once in a while. However, some children fail to obey and fail to behave appropriately at a rate that is excessive. Some of these children may have a disorder known as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) which is characterized by an inability to sustain attention for normal periods of time. Other children may have a disorder known as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). These children often argue with adults, throw temper tantrums, and actively refuse to follow adults’ rules and directions. A third group of children may not meet the diagnostic criteria for these disorders, but still may be very “difficult” children.
The good news is that research has shown that adults can learn to become more effective managers of the behavior of children. The Child Development Clinic offers an eight-week program, that is based on this research, which teaches parents the most effective and efficient strategies to improve the behavior of their children.
Who will be helped by this program?
This program will help both parents and children. Parents often feel stressed, incompetent, embarrassed, and guilty when faced with a child who chronically misbehaves. Marital difficulties also can result because of stress and disagreements over parenting a difficult child. On the other hand, children also feel bad when they are consistently in trouble. This program can improve self-esteem and reduce stress levels for both parents and children. Most importantly, it can improve the quality of the relationship between parents and children.
The research literature shows that the most effective treatment for children with AD/HD is medication and behavior management training, while the most effective treatment for ODD is behavior management training. This program is highly recommended if your child has been diagnosed with AD/HD and/or ODD; it can also be helpful even if your child has not been diagnosed with AD/HD or ODD.
How do I know that I need this program?
As a rule of thumb, if you feel that you’ve run up against a brick wall when trying to reduce the amount of time your child misbehaves, then you may be appropriate for this program. Common areas of difficulty include: following instructions, obeying household rules, tantrums, talking back, whining, fighting with other children, dawdling, sharing, grooming, putting things away, destroying property, engaging in physically dangerous behavior, going to bed, doing homework, doing household chores, lying, and swearing. If you feel you’ve had problems with your child in several of these areas for a significant period of time, then you and your child may benefit from this program.
A one hour assessment appointment can be scheduled with the clinical psychologist to determine if this program can help you.
What happens in this program?
You will meet privately with a therapist once a week for eight sessions. In these sessions, you will be trained in the most effective strategies to improve the behavior of your child. You will be given homework in which you put these new skills to use in your home. In the next session, you will discuss your experience with these new skills before new material is covered.
What are the goals of this program?
One goal is to reduce the level of your child’s misbehavior. However, an equally important goal is to accomplish this in a manner that enhances your relationship with your child while improving self-esteem and reducing stress levels for both you and your child.
Some topics covered are:
- Why children misbehave
- How to decide if your child’s misbehavior is excessive
- How to use your positive attention to improve your child’s misbehavior
- How to teach your child to be more compliant
- How to use positive reinforcement effectively
- How to develop and maintain an effective home reward system
- How to effectively use time out, ignoring and punishment
- How to communicate and problem-solve with your child
- How your health and well-being affect your child
- How to anticipate and derail future misbehavior
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