Most kids misbehave some times. Some children, however, exhibit behaviors that are much more extreme and require additional attention or correction. These include disorders such as ADHD, ODD and other behavioral conditions. Often these manifest as problems interacting and communicating with others or with learning and retaining information. (boystown.org)
BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS
How do I know when my child should be tested for a behavioral disorder?
When it comes to behavioral disorders and children, we usually find out about them because children go to school and they don't look like all the other children. They can't sit in their seat. They can't focus. Here we have very bright and intelligent kids who can't make it through their class work and so we recognize there might be a behavioral disorder. On the spectrum where there is Asperger’s to Autism, the first thing that parents need to do is get an appropriate assessment by a professional that knows what they're doing. When parents do that, then they can recognize is it what exactly is going on and what disorder they are dealing with...
What do I do if I feel that my child's school isn't addressing his/her special needs options?
If you feel like your child needs extra help that their school teacher can't provide, you may want to look outside of the school. Number one, there's lots of professionals you can go to online. Google your child’s disorder and figure out what is in the area around you, what support systems are there that are outside the school system.
How do I embrace having a child with ADHD or other behavioral disorder?
The first thing, I think, when working with parents over the years, I have noticed is just really coming to grips with the disorder and accepting that this is what my child has. Parents should get the support they need to be able to understand the disorder and be able to work with other people that would support them, because this is a life-long situation that they're facing.
How do I build a support system for a child recently diagnosed with a behavioral disorder?
Now that we have the Internet, it makes it really easy for us to find out what supports are out there. So I would say to the parents, go online and find out, put your child's disorder into a search engine and see what's in your community. Then get out and start talking to people. Talk to the counselor at your school, and she might let you know that there's some support groups or some other groups. You can just start a group if that's the best way to go. You'll find out that you're not alone.
Cote Interview Great Days Ahead
Man: We kind of knew something was going on with Braden when he was younger. Seemed to be really active. People kept telling us that he was just a boy, but it kind of started in kindergarten, when his kindergarten teacher came to us and said, "I think your son has maybe some type of ADHD or, you know, we need to get it looked at."
Green Interview Great Days Ahead
Woman: When Jonathan first started school, he was having trouble staying on task and staying in his seat and just behaving the way that he needed to to be in the classroom.
Man: It got to the point where when the phone rang, and the caller ID came up, and it was the school, whether it was my wife getting the call or whether it was me getting the call, it was like, "Oh God, what's he done now?"
My child has a behavioral disorder. How can I help him/her have a better school experience?
Behavior modification may be one thing that parents may need to do to help their child to be more successful in school, whether they are on medication or not. Once the child has been diagnosed with a particular disorder on the spectrum, the next step is to decide what treatment would be best for that child. It may be medication, it may be behavior modification. Taking a parenting class would be a very good start for those parents who are struggling with a child with a particular disorder.
Texts Tweets and TV part 1
We have a little more than an hour to talk about kids and technology. My name is Laura Buddenberg, I do work for Boys Town. I have worked for Boys Town for a little over 10 years and I am a training manager, so I work over in the training department. I'm also an author and have co-authored a few books here for Boys Town. But more than any of that, I am a parent myself. So my interest in this area and dealing with that really springs out of having two young adult daughters. Our girls are now 22 and 24. So we dealt with kind of the technology beast in our house. In our role at Boys Town, we travel all over the country. We work with school districts and teachers, so we hear all about the issues of kids and technology when we're in a school, from that perspective.
VIDEOS
Myths About ADHD
The fact that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is classified as a medical disorder doesn’t stop a myriad of myths from circulating throughout our culture. We’ll tackle a few of the most common myths here so you can learn to separate fact from fiction when it comes to ADHD.
Does My Child Have ADHD?
While only a trained physician can correctly diagnose someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), knowing the basics about ADHD will help you decide if your child needs a professional evaluation.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about ADHD; we’ll do our best to clear the air and give you some general information that you can use to guide your parenting decisions.
Compete with Character and Every Game Will be a Victory
“Character is formed by doing the thing we are supposed to do, when it should be done, whether we feel like doing it or not.” - Father Edward Flanagan, Founder of Boys Town
The best athletic atmosphere for young people is one that focuses on their needs and wants and not those of their coaches and parents.