Abstract
In our work with the families of adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we often incorporate a behavior contracting strategy that we refer to as the Homework Management Plan (HMP). We focus on homework compliance because this issue is a very common complaint that, when explored, exposes issues of strained communication and ineffective limit setting. The goal of the intervention is to construct a behavior contract that clearly spells out the parents’ expectations and the contingences—both rewards and punishments—used when addressing the adolescent’s homework performance. In cases where homework is not a concern (e.g., the school has removed the expectation that the adolescents will complete homework), we often shift to another concern that can benefit from behavioral contracting and apply the same principles. Regardless of the target behavior, the process of behavioral contracting helps parents improve their response to their child’s problem behaviors, particularly if there has been a history of noncompliance. In this chapter, we review the HMP and describe ways in which we have successfully incorporated these techniques into the Challenging Horizons Program.
I have never known any perfect families, any perfect children, or for that matter, any perfect couple. Nor do I expect to meet any.
Virginia Satir, from Peoplemaking (1972)
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- 1.
For simplicity, we will refer to this class of interventions as “parenting programs” throughout this chapter. Readers should be cautioned that similar interventions, such as functional family therapy or multisystemic therapy, fall under a different purview and are not the focus of this chapter.
- 2.
For our purposes here, we will describe the examples in the video as needed to make our points clear to readers.
- 3.
All decisions regarding medications should be done in consultation with a qualified physician.
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Schultz, B., Evans, S. (2015). Working with Families. In: A Practical Guide to Implementing School-Based Interventions for Adolescents with ADHD. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2677-0_6
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