Behaviour
management and diet
Use of a
behaviour management program can double the benefits of the diet. It is best to wait until
the effects of the diet have kicked in and the child is more amenable to
discipline, at least two weeks.
The quickest, easiest and
most enjoyable behaviour management program is Dr Thomas Phelan's 1-2-3
Magic video, available from Amazon.com (American version, which will play
on many new Australian VCRs) or www.parentshop.com.au
phone 1300 738 278. It is also available for loan from many preschools, some
health departments, and some toy libraries. If you can't afford the video, buy
the book, or borrow it from your library (although the video is better!)
During challenges, avoid
confrontations and be sympathetic. You can use a less confrontational reverse
version of 1-2-3-Magic, by counting quietly to yourself and giving
yourself time-out.
Some failsafers have also
recommended the Triple P Parenting program - this should be much easier
for Australian readers to access, check at your local community health centre
for information about courses.
Apart from challenges, if
you can't get
"Our son aged 6 has
always been difficult, defiant and hard to get on with. When we went to a
paediatrician regarding problems at school, he was diagnosed with ADHD and sent
to the Management of Young Children Program. MYCP has been going for 20 years
in
"When we started the
program, we did 3 'baseline' sessions in a room with a video camera just to get
Tom used to the room and the toys. Next the psychologist does a training
session with the parents for about 2 hours to teach the skills that are needed
in the room to get the child to do as they're told. The parent has to give a
specific direction. If the child carries out the direction, the behaviour is
praised. If the child doesn't carry out the direction, the parent waits. This
means ignoring what the child is doing, turning away and just waiting until
they do as they're told, and when they do, the parent praises the behaviour. It
sounds very simple, but it works. As soon as the attention is away from the
child, sooner or later the child does as you want them to do, then he gets
praised. The psychologists rate the child's oppositional behaviour every ten
seconds. Every 2 minutes you change the activity that you're doing, and they
coach you, if needed, throughout the session. Each session takes 20 to 30
minutes.
"We have been going
for 30 sessions. It usually takes 18 sessions for a difficult child to get an
oppositional score below 5%, but Tom has been very difficult.
"We started MYCP early
this year and have been going three afternoons a week during school term. I
discovered the elimination diet four months later and Tom has been on it for a
month now. The difference is fantastic. It was school holidays when we started
it, and I actually enjoyed the holidays. He is much calmer, more focused, much
less argumentative and easier to get on with. I think we will be finished MYCP
soon, when we get three sessions in a row under 5% opposition. The
psychologists are happy with Tom's behaviour and say that we're progressing
well since the diet. Once the room sessions are finished, the psychologists
then pinpoint which situations at home are a problem,
and give you parenting strategies on how to handle them.
"It is a great
program. I wish we had known about it when Tom was in Kindy, but we didn't find
out about it until he was in Grade 1. It provides a lot of support for parents
of difficult children, even though it is very time-consuming. Although the
psychologists don't actively recommend diet to the people that are doing MYCP,
they do believe that diet can make a difference."
Updated July 2006
There is also a wealth
of material available in
|
Articles from a national newsletter for
parents, educators and behaviour management specialists about Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related topics. Edited by Sue Dengate, published from 1993-1999, each issue mailed to up to 800 individuals and organisations. |
