Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a learning disability that can disrupt households and cause feelings of insecurity and frustration in children with the disorder. ADHD is defined as a neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorder that results in deficits in executive function skills. Children who have ADHD have problems with executive functions such as impulse control, focusing on tasks, working memory, and problem solving. If a person lacks basic executive functioning skills, he cannot live, work and learn with a competency that is appropriate for his age or stage of life.

Parenting a child with ADHD can be a real challenge. Children with ADHD are easily distracted, and have a hard time following instructions or completing simple tasks. Kids with ADHD are impulsive and impatient, making it difficult for them to sit still long enough to enjoy a family meal, play a board game, or listen to a bedtime story. They find it hard to wait their turn, and often interrupt conversations to demand immediate parental attention. Children with ADHD appear to be out of control and disorganized most of the time.

 

Parents of children with ADHD can help alleviate some of these behaviors by helping their child improve their basic executive functioning skills.

Executive Function skills are essential to achieve personal and academic success. C8Sciences has developed and marketed sophisticated programs to help parents identify executive function deficits in their children. The innovative cross-training program helps kids learn to access information, analyze possible solutions to problems, and estimate the time necessary to complete tasks.

Let’s look at the breakdown of Executive Functions to better understand how children can use cognitive cross-training skills to improve their Executive Function skills. Executive Functions are identified as 6 basic skills that are necessary to problem solve and complete tasks in a timely and organized manner.

 

1. Analyze:

The ability to analyze a problem comes naturally to most people. Executive Function Disorder makes it difficult for a child to look at a problem logically, and determine a plan of action to attack the problem. The ACTIVATE™ cognitive cross training program is designed to prompt students to look at a problem and come up with the best method to solve it.

 

2. Plan:

Planning is the next step. When a plan is put into place, problem solving is easy. Children with ADHD have difficulty coming up with workable plans. Parents can help their children with the planning component. If a child is struggling with a situation and seems overwhelmed, helping him plan exactly how to proceed will give him confidence and assurance that he can manage the situation. A written plan of action can be helpful.

 

3. Organize:

This one is the downfall of the best laid plan. If a child lacks organizational skills and misplaces his plan of action, the project fails. Helping kids get and stay organized is challenging for parents. Especially those who have a hard time organizing themselves! A place for everything, and everything in its place is a good household rule. Give your child verbal prompts to help him get organized. Shoes go in the closet, pencils, lunch money, permission slips and supplies in the backpack, and tomorrow’s clothes laid out the night before are all helpful tips for the disorganized child. The computer based games and activities that are contained in the ACTIVATE™ brain training program are designed to enhance organizational skills.

 

4. Develop:

So, we have analyzed and planned our approach to the problem, and organized our materials. Now it’s time to develop our plan into a concrete solution to the problem. The ACTIVATE™ program can help with that. Problem solving is presented in small workable segments. Students are called upon to develop workable solutions to simple problems. Once they’ve mastered the basic skills, more challenging problems are presented.

 

5. Adjust:

Plans are great, but as we all know, life happens. When circumstances change, children have to be able to adjust accordingly. Help your child understand that if there is an unexpected interruption while working on a task or assignment, simple adjustments can be made to accommodate the interruption without affecting the outcome of the project.

 

6. Complete:

Completing the task sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Sometimes that’s the hardest part. Reading that last chapter of an assigned book, or putting the finishing touches on a science project may get put off if the child is distracted. It’s easy to say I’ll finish it later. Help your child follow through and finish his task before he turns the TV on, or heads outside to play basketball. Positive praise or a simple reward for following through will encourage on-going good habits. The ACTIVATE™ program has an effective on-line reward system that supports good habits and completion of assignments.

 

The C8Sciences approach to building Executive Function skills in children with ADHD has been researched and proven to be effective. Kids with ADHD love the ACTIVATE™ program. They are able to master skills at their own pace, receive encouragement and positive reinforcement for their accomplishments. When they begin to feel closed in or restless, they can exercise to their heart’s content, all within the perimeters of the ACTIVATE™ program. The struggles of ADHD are real. The ACTIVATE™ cognitive training program is a program that will help families identify and overcome many of the obstacles facing their child with ADHD.