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4. Shape the Behavior
Shaping is a psychological technique used in behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapies. In shaping, you accept the behavior at its baseline and work to make small movements with the use of reinforcement. If you wanted to incorporate shaping into the previous math homework example, you would start at five minutes, break, six minutes, break, seven minutes and so on until work was completed. When your child successfully accomplishes the set amount of time at typical activity levels, you provide a reward. Rewards can be kind words, a hug, small amounts of money, or a promise to engage in a fun activity later. This process enables your child to associate longer periods of desired activity levels with positives. With consistency, the times will stretch and become longer.
Problems can arise when you become so saturated with information — you might begin to find it difficult to separate ADHD facts from the fiction.
