Simon Says Pay Attention: Help for Children with ADHD

(NOTE: This new 2016 edition has all-new illustrations plus added pages of family-friendly forms and handouts.) Children with ADHD have good intentions, but often can’t follow through on those good intentions. Parents and teachers who respond to the child’s poor follow-through with traditional rewards and punishment often find that these methods don’t work. This leads to mounting frustrations for the child and adults alike. With the Simon Says Pay Attention program, therapists can help these children—and their caretakers—map out a plan for success, based on an understanding of the brain’s executive functions. Children learn strategies and tools for strengthening their performance in four executive skill areas: -Working Memory -Response Inhibition -Cognitive and Behavioral Flexibility -Goal Orientation This manual provides practical application of the principles outlined in the authors’ book, Executive Function and Child Development (W. W. Norton, 2013). Simon Says Pay Attention contains dozens of reproducible games, stories, worksheets, tools, home assignments and skill trackers. The Simon Says program uses the P.L.A.Y model to engage children as active partners in managing their ADHD. Following a 4-step plan, the therapist first uses a playful intervention to engage the child's interest and to allow the child to demonstrate specific abilities and skills. Next, using stories, worksheets and home assignments, the therapist provides insight and practical tools that will enable the child to utilize those skills in daily life and take more responsibility for managing their ADHD-related difficulties. Special emphasis is placed on strategies that provide external support at the "point of performance"--the actual daily situations that are challenging for the child. Thousands of families have already gained a new and helpful understanding of ADHD by practicing the strategies outlined in Simon Says Pay Attention. The 2016 edition has all-new illustrations plus added pages of forms and handouts to make it even more child- and family-friendly.