If your child is struggling with ADD or ADHD, they might benefit from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy. With ABA therapy, our team of Board Certified Behavior Analysts can develop a tailored therapy plan to address your child’s specific needs. The therapies are safe and positive. The results can be effective and life-long lasting. Learn more and get started with your ABA Therapy today:
What Is Attention Deficit (ADD or ADHD)?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a very common disorder. It can cause your child to have difficulty with attention and staying focused, controlling everyday behavior and hyperactivity. Although ADHD and ADD may often be used interchangeably, ADHD is the official term for the medical condition. ADD is an outdated term referring to ADHD without the symptom of hyperactivity or impulsivity.
Data from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that the average onset age for moderate ADHD is 6 years old. Severe ADHD is most commonly diagnosed around 4 years old and mild ADHD at 7 years ago.
Typical Kid Behavior vs. ADHD?
Most healthy children can be inattentive at times and impulsive at others. They are naturally full of energy, making them prone to be highly active, which is different than being hyperactive. All children occasionally act before thinking, forget a school assignment at home, daydream, and fidget at the table. There’s nothing to worry about if your child does things like this on occasion.
However, if your child is struggling with issues consistently and you are becoming concerned that ADHD may be the underlying condition, it is helpful to speak to your pediatrician, family doctor, or a therapist. They can help you determine if ongoing issues like inattention, hyperactivity, loss of train of thought, lack of focus, and impulsivity mean your child may be suffering from ADHD. It is always helpful to note specific instances and examples when you speak with them initially. They will likely recommend meeting with your child and may recommend your child work with a specialist like an ABA-trained therapist.
What Are the Signs of Attention Deficit Disorder?
There are many signs that your child may be suffering from ADHD. The symptoms vary but tend to fall under three major umbrellas: inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Your child’s symptoms may tend to fall more in one category than the other two or be spread throughout all three.
Symptoms of ADHD
- Trouble staying focused and getting bored with something before completion
- Difficulty following instructions or remembering things
- Making careless mistakes
- Not listening when spoken to or appearing to not be listening
- Consistently losing items like toys, homework, or other items of importance
- Trouble with organization and basic planning
- Consistent fidgeting and squirming
- Excessive talking, often with frequent subject changes that don’t follow a conversation pattern
- Inappropriate movement like running in calm areas, climbing items that shouldn’t be climbed, or a need to touch and handle everything
- Blurting out answers or guessing in learning situations, often without waiting for the teacher or caregiver to finish the question
- Interrupting others and speaking at inappropriate times
- Outbursts, temper tantrums, and difficulty keeping emotions from bubbling to the surface
Potential Coexisting Disorders
According to the CDC, a national parent survey found that 6 in 10 children that were diagnosed with ADHD also lived with one or more other emotional, mental, or behavioral disorders. The most common conditions include:
- behavior or conduct problems
- anxiety issues
- learning disabilities
- autism spectrum disorder
- depression
How Can ABA Therapy Help with ADD and ADHD?
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy focuses on using science to understand and modify behavioral issues, making it highly beneficial if your child is struggling with ADHD. The goal of ABA therapy is to decrease negative behaviors and symptoms of ADHD and use motivation and reinforcement to increase positive behaviors. A combination of ABA therapy and medication when necessary has been found to produce top successful outcomes for children suffering from ADHD.
The behavior therapy done through ABA is a unique non-drug approach to helping your child overcome their specific ADHD-related symptoms and thrive in their everyday environment. Your ABA-trained therapist will use a variety of approaches to help your child learn what behaviors are resulting in negative outcomes for them due to ADHD. They then help your child to take multiple steps to learn new behaviors. These new behaviors are rewarded with positive reinforcement. In conclusion, the goal is for your child to learn new positive behaviors that they will carry with them into the classroom, social situations, home life, and beyond.
Get Started with ADD/ADHD Therapy
We have two ABA Therapy Centers in Colorado Springs at:
Academy and Galley.
Get started with ABA therapy for ADD/ADHD today: