Managing Frustration for Children with ADHD (Ages 8-11)
Children with ADHD often have difficulty managing frustration and coping with negative emotions. Poor frustration tolerance often leads to behavior problems, as children who are frustrated react through behavioral difficulties, emotional outbursts and “meltdowns.” Children who cannot cope with negative emotions may have difficulty behaving at home and school, getting along with other kids and completing academic tasks. Our program teaches children and their parents to recognize, understand and cope with frustration, anger and other negative feelings in a fun and supportive environment. The program has been shown by research to help children with ADHD to better cope with their anger and frustration.
This program does NOT focus on helping children to better manage their core symptoms of ADHD (inattention, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity), as research has shown that such programs are not very effective. It is most effective for children with ADHD whose core ADHD symptoms are being addressed by empirically-based interventions (medication, environmental management at home, classroom management and academic accommodations as needed at school) but who continue to experience significant problems with frustration.
This program is conducted in a group format, with no more than eight children enrolled at a time. There are a total of 12 weekly sessions, 90 minutes each, taught in the late afternoon / early evening. The children attend 11 of the 12 sessions, with parents attending one group session without their child.
The following topics are covered:
- Managing frustration
- Coping with negative feelings
- Reducing “outbursts”
- Recognizing and reducing anger
- Understanding the thoughts and situations that create frustration
- Problem solving
The strategies taught in this program are appropriate for children with a diagnosis of ADHD who are:
- Between the ages of 8 to 11
- In third, fourth or fifth grade
- Experiencing difficulties controlling anger, coping with negative emotions and managing frustration despite ongoing efforts to manage their ADHD
