Overview:

In this 10-part series, Dr. Monastra illustrates his parenting program through live demonstrations of the 10 Lessons that Medicine Cannot Teach. Each DVD provides a complete class lesson, as taught to parents at our clinic. It also includes the worksheets used to help parents and other caregivers practice the skills that they are taught in class, so that you can practice these skills at home. This video version of our program was developed to respond to the needs of parents who cannot visit our clinic to participate in our program, as well as, the needs of educators, guidance counselors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other health care providers who are interested in offering this program as part of their patient care.

The Home Version of our Parenting Program can be purchased in its entirety or by specific class topics.

OR - Buy individual classes:

Class 1: 
Part 1: ADHD: What Do We Know…What Can We Do To Help?
Part 2: Parenting Children with ADHD: An Overview of the 10 Lessons that Medicine Cannot Teach

This two hour DVD presents essential information about the causes of ADHD, common medical conditions that “mimic” ADHD, and how medications work. It also provides a review of the importance of diet, sleep, and exercise in promoting attention. A detailed summary of the content of each of the 10 classes is provided, and specific interventions for use at home, school, and in clinical practice are described.

Class 2: Educational Rights of Children with ADHD

Students with ADHD are entitled to a comprehensive evaluation in order to determine the types of adverse effects that their condition is having on academic performance. This DVD reviews the educational rights of children, the process for obtaining a comprehensive evaluation, and the types of services and accommodations that are often included in the Individual Educational Plans and
Section 504 Accommodation Plans developed to help these students.

Class 3: Parent-Child Relationships and ADHD

Until the child with ADHD is being effectively treated, the process of parenting is an extraordinarily exhausting and frustrating experience. As parents exhaust the entire range of ways to help their child, they all too often end up feeling chronically fatigued, irritable and withdrawn. This class focuses on ways to begin to emotionally connect with your child and begin to establish the kind of rapport that will be helpful as you proceed through the class lessons.

Class 4: Defining Treatment Goals for Your Child

In this class, we review the process of teaching new skills, highlighting motivational strategies that appear to be far more effective than “time out”, “rewards”, and loss of privileges or other types of punishment. We present the concept of “Time Stands Still”, the requirement that a child needs to
“Work for Play” and “Apologize and Make Amends” when they act in a way that makes life difficult for another. Strategies for organizing the day into manageable parts are also presented.

Class 5:  Teaching Emotional Control

The vast majority of children with ADHD exhibit problems of impaired anger control, “depression” and marked anxiety and worry. In this class, we review some useful techniques for teaching emotional control and discuss how they can be applied at home.

Class 6:  Teaching Impulse Control

Although medications for ADHD often help to reduce certain impulsive and hyperactive behaviors, children and teenagers often continue to display these types of problems because they have not been taught effective ways to “get what they want” without being impulsive. This class reviews strategies
for teaching more socially appropriate ways to obtain goals, without resorting to whining, interrupting, and disruptive behaviors.

Class 7: Teaching Organizational and Planning Skills

Children and Teens with ADHD are typically highly disorganized and rely on parents and teachers to function as “their frontal lobes”. In this class, we begin to examine strategies to gradually teach kids ways to organize their “stuff”, their homework, and their schedules. We also introduce the notion that planning is “not a four letter word”, and that systematically deciding on an enjoyable goal, and figuring out a way to make it happen, can be a very good idea.

Class 8: Teaching Problem-Solving to Pre-teens and Teenagers

One of the most important lessons of the teen years is learning how to get what you want when another person says “No”. In this class, we teach a highly effective technique for problem solving that involves identifying the needs and fears of other persons as the core component in effective conflict resolution.

Class 9: Teaching Social Skills

Students with ADHD often have difficulty establishing and sustaining friendships. In this class, we review simple techniques to begin the process of  improving conversational skills, establishing a network of friends, and promoting increased enjoyment of time spent with peers and family.

Class 10: Survival Tips for Parents

Mentally and physically exhausted parents tend to give in, give up, or get angry. In this class, we review strategies for boosting the energy levels of our parents, and increasing their enjoyment of day to day life.