Troubled Teens Resources

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder can be tackled by many methods besides medication. Recent studies have indicated a correlation between ADHD and too much media consumption. Other studies indicate outdoor activities as a tools for managing ADD. It’s been demonstrated that weight lifting and martial arts programs are excellent for counteracting ADHD. So disconnect the teen from their media, get them outside and enroll them in a sport. All medication free.

In fact there are programs appearing daily all over the world that employ a constellation of therapies that can turn ADD into an asset instead of a stumbling block. Boot camps, troubled teen boarding schools and military schools have success with a combination of structure, discipline, accountability and cognitive self-change.

Parents need not despair if their teen or child has been diagnosed with ADD. First, get more than one opinion. You might find some schools are extremely heavy handed when it comes to demanding a teen be medicated. Stand your ground and seek alternatives if you are uncomfortable with medicating your teen.

Experiment with behavioral modification training that you can conduct at home. About.com has several suggestions along these lines, with links to various programs.

“Behavior Modification programs are an important part of treatment for children with ADD/ADHD. They can be used to improve behavior at home, improve academic success or improve family relationships. They can range from elaborate programs to simple charts.”

Military boarding schools and other private schools can produce some unexpected benefits. Unlike your typical teen, troubled teens in boarding schools are not inundated with media 24/7. In many cases there are no media privileges except for those students who are at the top tier of their classes.
Many recent studies are bearing out what a thinking parent has recognized instinctively. Teens watching too much media and constantly connected to iPods and video games are experiencing more learning and behavioral problems than their unconnected counterparts.

“Our findings suggest that teenagers who spent a lot of time watching TV tend to be more likely to have attention and learning problems that persist and interfere with their long-term educational achievement,” said Johnson.

“Whether teens had existing attention or learning problems or whether they didn’t have them, they were at greater risk for later attention and learning problems,” Johnson said.

Johnson advises parents to limit the amount of time they let their children watch TV. “About one to two hours a day,” he said. “And they should be watching quality programming,” he added.”

Other data indicates that 40% of infants as young as three months old are regular TV viewers, the percentage jumping to 90 by two years of age. It is of such concern to many child professionals that they consider it one of the greater health risks children face.

You do not need to enroll your teen into a troubled teen boarding school to cut off media, but you can educate yourself with the newest data and start gaining control over the entire family’s media consumption.