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Did You Know Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy Could Benefit Both ADD and ADHD?
There are many strategies that parents can use to treat their child’s ADHD and ADD symptoms. At Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic, our therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists are effective at helping a child control her impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness.
In-clinic treatments, combined with at-home strategies, are helpful at improving an ADHD or ADD child’s overall behavior. For more information, request an appointment with one of our therapists today!
ADD, ADHD, and therapeutic treatments
Many doctors will recommend speech and occupational therapy as a combined treatment plan for young children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Our integrated care team will use several techniques to encourage the child.
Our team can suggest alternate techniques to use in challenging situations. For instance, through speech and occupational therapy, a child with ADD or ADHD can discover a healthy way to cope with distractibility and to improve organizational skills.
Our services are also useful for children who are struggling socially. ADD and ADHD children may have difficulty interacting with their peers and may have the inability to make lasting friendships. Our integrated care team may provide your child with techniques to guide them through social interactions.
Environmental factors in behavior
Parent involvement is essential for treatment methods to work. Our team can educate parents on how creating a structured environment will help keep the child on track.
Some actions you can take at home to promote healthy and positive behavior with your child include:
- Daily routines. Set up predictable rituals at home to help your child know what to expect. Hang up a schedule for your child to view, creating a visual for what time he or she is waking up each morning, doing homework, exercising, playing, bathing, eating meals, and going to bed. In the beginning of the treatment plan, it may be best to keep afterschool activities to a minimum to avoid overwhelming the child. Our integrated care team can help you establish this daily routine schedule after your child’s treatment plan has been created.
- Better sleeping habits. Getting enough sleep each night will help your child stay focused during the day. Bedtimes need to be consistent with a wind-down period beforehand. Consistent daily exercise as prescribed by our movement specialists can help with this, as exercise will allow your child to release his or her energy and welcome sleep at the end of the day. A relaxing bath and/or story before bed may also be good rituals to start, as they can help your child wind down. Avoid screen time before bed since this may make it difficult for the child to become sleepy.
- Positive reinforcement. There are several techniques that our team, along with the child’s parents, employ to improve the child’s functional ability at home and at school. One method is positive reinforcement. The basis of this technique is to catch the child doing something good and reward the behavior. The reward can be as simple as allowing for extra play time as a result of completing a homework assignment. This type of reward is a win/win, as it allows the child to recognize a job well done and rewards it with physical activity – two things that help tremendously with the treatment of pediatric disorders.
At Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic, we can help
Our Occupational therapists and speech therapists can work with you to supply your child with all the tools that he or she needs to manage ADD or ADHD symptoms and thrive.
Request an appointment with Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic today to learn more.
