Making friends, playing sports and working out disagreements with playmates. While any one of these might come easy to most children, they can be difficult for children with behavior or social-emotional functioning disorders.
This summer, UAB will offer a six-week Summer Treatment Program for children ages six to 12 who have been diagnosed with behavior disorders such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or with disorders of social-emotional functioning such as Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The program will provide a comprehensive approach to treatment, in a therapeutic summer day camp setting. It is the only one of its kind in Alabama, and one of only six in the country.
“The program focuses on skills-building in many areas of daily functioning, including academic remediation and social competency,” said Bart Hodgens, Ph.D., program director and a clinical child psychologist with UAB’s Civitan International Research. “Medications are typically prescribed to children with behavior disorders to treat their symptoms, but they do not teach important skills such as how to make and keep a friend, dribble a basketball or resolve a peer conflict.”
The program will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, June 19 through July 28, at Community Education South, 1220 50th Street South. The cost is $2,600 per child, due by the first day of camp. A $500 deposit, payable by cash or check, is due at time of registration, with the remainder due by the first day of camp. Enrollment, now under way, is limited to 24 children. “Children will be divided into two groups of 12 children each,” Hodgens said. “Each group will have a lead counselor, four additional counselors, one teacher and a teacher’s aid. These staff members, and myself, will be on-site at all times.”
Each group of students spends three hours a day in classroom sessions — art, computer lab and academic skills. The remainder of the day, the children will participate in recreational activities, such as soccer, basketball and swimming.
“Throughout the day a variety of behavioral treatments tailored to the specific needs of each child are integrated into activities,” Hodgens said. “These will include social and problem solving discussions, time out, daily report cards, reward systems and weekly parent education meetings. After the first week, individualized goals are established for each child and parents receive daily feedback on their child’s progress with their individual goals.”
Parents with questions concerning medications can request an evaluation that includes systematic observation throughout the day in classroom and recreational settings, as well as any effects of medication on food intake and social interaction.
“Parents are often reluctant to make changes during the school year because they feel it will be disruptive for their child. But then they are unsure how to evaluate a medication’s effects during the summer months when school is not in session,” Hodgens said. “Some parents also want to determine if their child can function effectively without medication. The Summer Treatment Program provides the type of information and guidance needed to answer these questions.”
The Summer Treatment Program is entering its third year of operation. Results from the previous two years have been very positive, and many of this year’s participants are returning for their second or third year.
“The feedback we receive from parents consistently points to two things — the real and lasting changes they see in their children’s belief in themselves, and the positive momentum the program creates for the family as the children begin a new school year,” Hodgens said.
More information about the program is available online at www.circ.uab.edu/sparks/adhd or by contacting Bart Hodgens, Ph.D., at bhodgens@uab.edu or Angie DeVaux at (205) 934-5471.