Challenging behaviours in pre-school and primary aged children have increased enormously over the last 15 years. Diagnosis rates for disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome and Autism continue to rise as do the number of children who are medicated in response to these conditions earlier and earlier in life (1). Challenging behaviours when exhibited by young children can be the cause of enormous stress and pressure for the adults who care for them (2), but medication is not necessarily the only answer.

Rebecca Haisma, founder and director of the Centre for Integrated Therapies, has extensive experience in working with children with a range of behavioural disorders, and in assisting them and their families to make the necessary changes to improve their quality of life. She has worked intensively with children with ADD, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome and Autism and has postgraduate qualifications in managing emotional disturbance and behaviour disorders. At CIT we believe that challenging behaviours may have a range of causes which can be addressed via a number of avenues including diet modification, behaviour management strategies, CBT and bio-feedback, and that these may enable children to overcome significant difficulties and learn positive personal strategies for the long term.

Challenging behaviours rarely happen in isolation and understanding and working with the wider context of the family, school and social setting is vital to making real, lasting changes. Diet can play an important role in mediating children's behaviour (3,4) as can understanding the role of stress in brain function and taking steps to decrease stress factors (5). It is important for carers to understand their role in changing their child's way of interacting with their environment, rather than just expecting the child to 'get better' in isolation. Children and their primary carers will undergo an initial assessment which will allow us to identify the key factors impacting upon the child and contributing to their current behaviours. We will work with the child and their carers, both together and individually, to develop a holistic treatment plan and work practically to create real changes.

To make an appointment for an initial behavioural consultation and to discuss the best way to tailor a program which meets the needs of your child, contact us at the clinic on 01225 316670 or at mail@centreforintegratedtherapies.com. 

 

1. Singh, I. (2008). Beyond Polemics: Science and ethics of ADHD. Nature Rev Neuroscience, 9(12), 957-964.

2. Wymbs, B. T. (2008). Rate and predictors of divorce among parents of youths with ADHD.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(5), 735-744.

3. McCann, D., et al (2003). Food additives and hyperactive behaviours in 3 year-old and 8/9 year-old children in the community. The Lancet, 370(9598), 1560-1567.

4. Dengate, S. and Ruben, A. (2002). Controlled trial of cumulative behavioural effects of a common bread preservative. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 38(4), 373-376.

5. National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2005). Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain: Working Paper No. 3.