Hoza advocates trying behavior management techniques first and then adding medication if the child's behavior remains unacceptable. She maintains that medication dosages often could be cut in half if they were coupled with behavioral treatment. When behavior modification methods are put into practice, it's the adults who get most of the formal training. In the Purdue clinic, parents of ADHD children attend 10 sessions to learn simple skills for managing their child's behavior. The children's teachers also are asked to fill out daily report cards on the student's conduct.
Parents then provide home-based rewards when children exhibit proper school behavior.
Among the topics covered is how to give commands in a way that will bring about compliance by the child. If you want them to sit in a chair with their feet on the floor, tell them that. Parents also receive information on how to use time-outs and how to tackle difficult times such as getting ready for school or bedtime. It's not that these parents have bad parenting skills. Hoza said one reason more children may not be receiving behavior modification is because of the commitment it requires of parents.