Residential Treatment for ADHD and ODD

Teens with ADHD and ODD

When you have behavior concerns about your child, it can be upsetting. No one wants to admit that their child refuses to comply with the rules or creates issues intentionally. Yet there are a couple of disorders that fall into such categories of behavior. As a result the child can be doing poorly in school, creating issues at home, and having trouble maintaining relationships.

ADHD & ODD

One of these behaviors is known as Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the other is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). It can be almost impossible for parents to effectively handle such behaviors on their own. This is because common symptoms include the child being aggressive towards authority figures and, feeling that rules don’t apply to them, and making excuses rather than accepting their role in effects that occur.

Why Residential Treatment for ADHD and ODD?

It is understandable why parents will quickly become upset and frustrated with such behaviors. They seem to be continual which means that they are much more than just typical kids pushing the rules to see what they may be able to get away with. In a residential treatment facility, trained professionals are there to approach the issue from all angles.

Counseling

A common symptom of ADHD & ODD is that the child feels they aren’t to blame but that every one else around them is. They may have a particular parent or authority figure that they feel is out to get them. In counseling, your child will be encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions.

They will begin to see the cause and effect that is taking place. The link that their own actions are causing the consequences they don’t like. Efforts are made to find out why your child feels that those common rules at home and at school shouldn’t apply to them. Then changes can be made to choose new behaviors that are more appropriate. Positive reinforcement when they make good choices is part of a successful program.

Focusing

Most children with ADHD or ODD fail to be able to focus on things like they should. This makes it hard for them to follow through with what they need to do. It can result in it taking them longer to complete basic tasks too. In a residential treatment program those types of behaviors can quickly be identified. Then steps can be taken to introduce methods that help your child to focus on what they need to do. This will help them both at home and at school. They will be able to complete schoolwork and not be distracting the classroom as before.

Impulsive

One of the characteristics that also create issues for children with ADHD or ODD is that they are impulsive with their behaviors. They act without thinking about what is really going to be the consequence of that action. Through a quality residential treatment program though they can begin to be more intone with what the consequences are. They will be less impulsive and that can help to break the cycle they are currently in.

Medication

Counseling alone though may not be enough when it comes to treating ADHD and ODD. This is because a chemical imbalance in the brain could be responsible for a great deal of what is going on. With the right medication then that balance can be where it should be. With a residential treatment program, experts can closely monitor your child. This will make it easier for them to find the right medication as well as the amount of it that your child needs.

Finding a Quality Program to Help Teens with ADHD and ODD

Before you consider a residential treatment program you need to work with your doctor as well as mental health professionals. If they diagnose your child with ADHD or ODD then you need to ask lots of questions. Find out how severe they feel the problem is and what you can do to help change it.

The older a child is, the more likely that the behavior has gone on for a very long time. However, as they get older and want more control over their lives it can escalate in how it is being expressed. As a result, older children are more likely to be good candidates for residential treatment programs.

Make sure the program offers a holistic approach as mentioned here. You need your child to get treatment on all the different levels. Many of these programs also have a rewards system in place. The more your child is complying then the more privileges they earn. This is a great way for them to learn that by behaving in the right manner they get to have various rewards. That is something you will want to carry over too with your child when he or she returns home.

Here are additional resources you might be interested in:

Residential Treatment for Mentally Retarded Children

What to Expect from Residential Treatment Centers

Questions and Answers about Residential Treatment Programs for Teens