Resources for Parents of Children with ADHD and Behavioral Disorders in Florida
Parenthood is a journey like no other. When you bring a child into your home, you make a commitment to nurture and provide for them into adulthood, which is a simple sentence to write, but much more difficult to carry out in the day to day.
Every child is uniquely wired. Even multiple children who share the same two parents and same home will all present different strengths and challenges making parenting one of the most predictably unpredictable tasks in human existence. Every parent is perfect until they bring their child home. It’s only then that most realize they don’t really know what they’re doing.
In the most stable of times, parenting is a daunting task, but what happens when the children you love so dearly develop behavioral challenges due to the chemical makeup of their brains? What happens when you foster or adopt children with traumatic backgrounds that have altered how their brains process the world around them? And what happens when those children become aggressive and difficult to manage?
Thankfully, parents are not alone to navigate these challenges. There are numerous resources in the state of Florida that are available to support and guide parents with children who present with more challenging behavioral patterns.
Florida Children’s Institute
From their website: “The Florida Children’s Institute provides comprehensive support for children and families dealing with behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Our skilled providers utilize the latest best practices to address problem behaviors and foster independence, self-regulation and skill acquisition.
The FCI team is dedicated to providing excellent care in a warm, supportive environment. We offer parent training, follow-up care, and special courses in social and self-management skills to help your child succeed. We take a multidisciplinary approach using a whole-child and whole-family scope by working closely with your other educational, medical, and psychological service providers to coordinate treatment and achieve the best outcome for your child and your family.”
You can contact FCI today to set up a consultation and begin your pivot toward a supportive and nurturing care-based program for both you and your child.
Parent Management Training or Behavioral Parent Training (PMT or BPT)
PMT, also known as BPT, is a family of treatment programs that aims to change parenting behaviors, teaching parents positive reinforcement methods for improving pre-school and school-age children's behavior problems (such as aggression, hyperactivity, temper tantrums, and difficulty following directions). This program offers parents tools and resources to help them best understand and manage their children’s behavioral tendencies. It is a treatment option has been shown to not only reduce child disruptive behavior but also to support parents’ mental health.
Specific programs that can be classified as PMT are called Parent Child Interactive Training (PCIT). These programs focus specifically on the parent/child dynamic and relationship, teaching better coping mechanisms and communication skills to help bring more balance and stability to the home. These therapies are available through many Florida clinics and mental health centers—ask your pediatrician for local referrals to professionals trained in these methods.
CHADD – Children and Adults with ADHD
CHADD is a national organization with a wealth of resources, training materials, and built-in support for parents of children struggling with ADHD and other behavioral disorders. There are numerous Florida resources and support groups, which can be found by navigating their website and finding local chapters. You can also learn from their many online resources and join online support groups and mentor programs.
Florida Program for Behavioral Health Improvements and Solutions (FPBHIS)
While the name of this program is a mouthful, the concept is much more simple – Their mission is to “promote evidence-based behavioral health services to all Florida individuals with behavioral health concerns regardless of insurance carrier.”
FPBHIS is a wealth of information for parents and offers numerous services from online trainings to a pediatric hotline that parents can call to be connected to a medical health professional who can help them understand and manage their children’s behavior. They have an extensive list of resources available on psychotherapeutic medications, substance use and abuse, advocacy organizations, and much more, Their trainings are thorough and widely varied, offering parents the opportunity to read about and understand the tools that could best help them and their children thrive.
Family Counseling
Speaking with mental health professionals is another crucial and helpful step toward thriving as a family despite behavioral challenges. A trained mental health expert can help parents manage the stress and strain of raising a child with behavioral challenges while also offering tools to both parent and child for coping with day-to-day stress. At Christian Counseling of Tampa, we are equipped and prepared to walk you through the daily challenges of child rearing. Call today to set up your first appointment.
