Services for Children with ADHD

If you are the parent of a child that you suspect has Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or that has already been diagnosed with ADHD, you probably have many concerns. Will my child be able to become a successful student? If my child takes stimulant medication, will she have to take it for the rest of her life? My child and I have battles almost every day. What can I do to have a calmer relationship with my child? Sometimes I feel like a failure as a parent when I see other children behaving when my child doesn’t. I can’t get my child up on time in the morning. Why is everything such a struggle?

At the Chesapeake Center our goal is to help you and your child to learn to manage the challenges of ADHD that occur at home, at school, and with friends. Even when we focus on problem-solving with parents, we also work to help parents recognize the very real strengths and talents of their child. There are many successful adults with ADHD. In fact, in some cases, they are successful because of their ADHD. Our goal is to help parents to help their children with ADHD be successful at every age.

Often, much of our work is done with parents rather than directly with their child. We work with parents to help them in the following areas:

• Understand Psychological Test Results — We work with parents to make sure that they understand the results of our psychological testing of their child. So many parents spend a great deal of money to have their child tested, only to confess that they understand very few test results.
• Follow through on the recommendations we make based on our psychological testing.
• We accompany parents to I.E.P. meetings (Individualized Educational Plan) and 504 Plan meetings (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in all programs that receive federal funding, including programs within the Department of Education) — to discuss the results of our testing and collaborate with teachers, counselors, school psychologists and other school personnel to develop accommodations that will help your child succeed in school.
• Recommend technical supports and educational software packages to parents — explaining to them exactly how these supports can help their child become a more confident, successful student.
• Work with parents in individual counseling sessions to help them to better understand the needs of their child and develop more ADHD-friendly, effective parenting techniques.
• Offer ADHD-friendly parent training classes to help parents become constructive problem-solvers, to help them build a positive, supportive relationship with their child, and to help them reduce the number of parent-child conflicts and emotional explosions on the part of their child.
• Teach parents how to create an ADHD-friendly home and family — children with ADHD have the opportunity to be successful and to reach their potential when their home and school environments are designed to be ADHD-friendly.
• Refer children with ADHD and their parents to ADHD-coaches and professional organizers affiliated with the center. These professionals can help to create ADHD-friendly daily habits, develop more efficient, effective ways to get homework done, and create pleasant, organized spaces — bedroom, playroom and study space — that will help your child feel more organized and focused.