OnTrac Program for Parents of Children with ADHD

What does this program cover?

Research is increasingly showing that group interventions like OnTrac for Tweens and Teens with ADHD are beneficial in the multidisciplinary treatment of ADHD. Tweens and teens can benefit from collaborative interventions, where both parent and child develop strategies to implement in the different settings where challenges are experienced.

For a child with ADHD, consistency is vital. By using a supportive and structured approach, challenging behaviours can be limited, and the child can flourish. This is the rationale underpinning the OnTrac Parenting Program, which was developed in response to demand from parents whose children had completed the OnTrac program and felt they could benefit from parenting advice based upon the proven strategies presented in the program. The program is also recommended to those parents whose children refuse to engage in such programs or in one-on-one interventions.

Concepts in the Parenting Program will give parents the tools to assist their growing children to continue developing independence and take responsibility for their condition.

The OnTrac Program for Tweens and Teens was developed by SafeZone Counselling to target the individual and empower them to rely more on their own cognitive ability and less on their parents. What we have learned from delivering this program since 2017 is that parent involvement is vital for best outcomes. The programs are kept separate so that child and parent can each focus on their own role and responsibilities in the management of ADHD. The focus is on the gradual process of moving away from parenting to protect, and towards parenting to prepare.

The objectives of the program are:

• to improve parental management skills and competence when dealing with challenging behaviours presented by teens and tweens with ADHD
• to provide education to the parents about ADHD in children, including causes, symptoms, and the many different presentations
• to increase teen and tween compliance with parental requests, directives and rules
• to create a more harmonious family by the development of positive parenting skills such as consistently providing clear guidance and rules, using fair and just discipline, and a reliance on values-guided parenting behaviour
• to use collaborative problem-solving strategies and positive communication styles to address struggles
• to identify and alter unreasonable beliefs or expectations in parents or children that may be hindering the development of positive behaviour.