Everything You Need to Know About PCIT
Looking for treatment options? Not sure about medication or medication isn’t doing enough? We’re here to help! Behaviour therapy is the recommended first line of treatment for children with ADHD.
Behaviour Therapy Before Medication
Leading bodies like the CDC and APA recommend behaviour therapy as a first line of treatment for children with ADHD, yet only 1 in 10 children receive the referral. Wonderwork is here to change that by providing evidence-based behaviour therapy right at home. Keep reading to learn more about why Parent Child Interaction Therapy is considered a gold standard in behaviour therapy for children with ADHD.
What is PCIT?
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy or PCIT is an evidence-based treatment focused on children aged 2-11 who struggle with behavioral issues. It is a unique treatment that looks a little different than traditional therapies. During a PCIT Therapy session, the parent and child engage in dedicated playtime while the therapist watches and provides live feedback to the parent through an earpiece. There are two phases of treatment each with core skills and outcomes the therapist helps the parent and child master.
Phase One
Child Directed Interaction (CDI) - focuses on building a strong and warm relationship between the parent and child.
Phase Two
Parent Directed Interaction (PDI) - helps the parent learn to manage the most challenging behaviours, set limits, and demonstrate appropriate behaviour in public.
The number of coaching sessions depends on how quickly the parent and child can master the right skills but usually falls between 12 and 20. This makes practice time an important part of successful therapy!
Does it really work?
PCIT is backed by over 20 years of research and is used by families around the globe to help manage challenging behaviours. PCIT Therapy has helped children and families too;
• Decrease disruptive, aggressive, defiantand other poor behaviors
• Improve symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Increase positive social behaviours like sharing and taking turns
• Improve compliance and behaviour in public
• Decrease parent stress and frustration while building confidence
• Build stronger family relationships
Improvements can be seen at home, school, daycare, and even amongst siblings who didn’t engage in the treatment. PCIT has a high parent satisfaction rate, and results are seen for years after the initial treatment is over.
How does PCIT help children with ADHD?
Behavior therapy is the recommended treatment for children with ADHD as a first line of support before medication is tried. PCIT is a gold standard in behaviour therapy and can help to manage conditions or co-morbidities that often accompany ADHD like defiance, other poor behaviors, anxiety, depression and poor self-esteem making it easier to cope with the symptoms of ADHD.
For children with ADHD and their parents, PCIT can help;
• Improve the parent-child relationship
• Decrease parent stress
• Improve co-operation
• Reduce difficult behaviours
• Improve mood
• Decrease anger and frustration
• Build self-esteem and confidence
PCIT is a unique and highly effective therapy for children with ADHD. Real-time coaching allows you to build good habits and recognize which behaviors might be causing more problems, helping to build a wonderful future for your child.