Summer Programs
ADHD Summer Treatment Program
UAB's Summer Treatment Program for children with behavior disorders such as ADHD and Oppositional-Defiant Disorder is a comprehensive approach to treatment that provides families with an individually designed plan to address their child's behavioral, emotional and learning needs. This unique program was established at UAB in 2003 and has met with great success as measured by parent report and documented behavior change, e.g., see Mrug and Hodgens, (citation provided below). The intensive treatment program utilizes social skills and problem solving training, academic remediation, sports skills training, medication assessment, behavior therapy, and parent education in a unique and well-established program originally developed by William E. Pelham, Ph.D. (Dr. Pelham is currently at SUNY Buffalo, see www.ctadd.net). The six-week UAB program is provided in a therapeutic summer day camp setting with daily arecreational activities (e.g., soccer, kickball), art classes, direct academic instruction by certified teachers and a computer lab. Individual goals are established for each child and parents receive daily and weekly reports on their child's progress. Weekly field trips are scheduled to local fun spots such as water parks, science and amusement centers
To view comments about ADHD and the UAB Summer Treatment Program from parents click here.
Download a PDF version of our brochure at the bottom of this page.
The UAB Summer Treatment Program (STP) is designed for children ages 6 to 12 who exhibit behaviors associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other behavior disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The program, however, has also been remarkably effective with several children diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder (Mrug and Hodgens). These children appear to benefit from the combination of structure and social engagement, as well as the strongly supportive environment. Treatment response is measured in a variety of ways and the STP has proven to be effective in every aspect. "Parents whose children have participated in the program have overwhelmingly reported that their children benefited from the program and that they would definitely recommend it to other families," reports Dr. Bart Hodgens, Ph.D., director of the STP and a clinical psychologist at the UAB Civitan International Research Center and Civitan-Sparks Clinics. The UAB STP is typically held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, from mid-June to the end of July, at Community Education South, 1220 50th St. S.
A pre-camp interview and assessment are conducted to determine whether the camp is appropriate for the child. Enrollment, now under way, is limited to 36 children. Children are divided into three groups of 12 with each group having a lead counselor, four additional counselors, a certified art instructor, one teacher and a teacher's aid - a two-to-one staff-to-child ratio. A licensed clinical psychologist is on-site at all times, along with UAB post-doctoral fellows and interns selected for participation.
About Medication
Pharmacological interventions are an important but optional part of the Summer Treatment Program (STP). A child's response to various medical treatments can be evaluated throughout the day in both academic and recreational settings. Assessment for other side effects including food intake and social interaction can also be accurately monitored. The assessment employs a variety of measures of functioning (e.g., classroom productivity and accuracy, social behavior with peers, compliance with adult requests, parent and teacher rating scales) to produce a highly refined medication recommendation for each child involved in the assessment. Comprehensive reports to referring physicians enable them to determine whether medication is effective and what dose should be employed in the child's ongoing treatment. Snehal Khatri, MD, a UAB developmental pediatrician, is available for consultation upon request.
For parents interested in treating their child's behavior problems without medications, the Summer Treatment Program provides a comprehensive solution. "Creating and maintaining positive behavior change in a child that has a significant behavior problem without using medications can be a difficult but laudable task," said Cryshelle Patterson, Ph.D., a UAB clinical psychologist also affiliated with the STP. "Some parents want to help their children function better without medicating them. This program provides children and their parents with the fundamental tools necessary to do that." Our ADHD Summer Treatment Program brochure in the Adobe Acrobat PDF format is available for download or online printing and viewing. Please note the physical location of Civitan-Sparks Clinics has changed but telephone and e-mail contact information in the brochure remains the same.
Program Description
Enrolled children attend the Summer Treatment Program for six weeks, from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM on weekdays. Treatment plans are tailored to each child's behavioral, affective, and cognitive needs. The individually designed treatment plans are implemented by a well-trained staff of educators and therapists.
Each group of 12 children has one lead counselor, four counselors, one teacher, and a teacher aide. These staff are in addition to the two clinical psychologists, at least one of whom is on-site at all times. The groups stay together throughout the day to facilitate group cohesiveness and improvement in peer relations. Each group spends three hours daily in classroom sessions comprised of Art, Computer Lab, and Academic Skills. The remainder of each day consists of recreationally-based group therapy activities (e.g., soccer, softball). In all settings throughout the day, a variety of treatment modalities are implemented in an integrated manner.
The treatment components include the following:
Point/token Economy System
Social Skills Training
Group Problem-Solving Discussions
Sports Skills Training
Time Out
Daily Report Cards
Individualized Programs
Daily and Weekly Reward Systems
Weekly Parent Education Meetings
Parent Education
Parent education is an important component of the STP. Parents attend weekly groups during which they are taught how to implement behavioral interventions with their children in the home setting. For interested families, periodic "booster" sessions can be scheduled throughout the year to assess progress with treatment plans and to make any needed adjustments. School consultation is available for interested families as well. Children with ADHD often have Section 504 Plans or an Individual Education Plan (IEP) at their respective school. Information obtained from the STP can be used in the development of an effective plan that establishes both academic and behavioral goals for the year.
Program Director
Bart Hodgens, Ph.D., UAB Civitan International Research Center, is Director of the STP. He is a Clinical Child Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in research, evaluation, and treatment of ADHD and associated disorders. He is on the faculty of the Departments of Psychology and Pediatrics at UAB and directs clinics focused on childhood behavioral and learning problems at the UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics.
Dr. Hodgens is the Director of the Behavioral Assessment Clinic at the Civitan-Sparks Clinics. For more information click here.
Co-Director
Cryshelle Patterson, Ph.D., UAB Civitan International Research Center, is the Co-Director of the STP. She is a Clinical Child Psychologist with extensive experience with evaluation, treatment, and consultation for children diagnosed with ADHD and their families. In addition, Dr. Patterson has investigated the emotional, behavioral, social, and language functioning of children diagnosed with ADHD in various research studies. At the UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics, Dr. Patterson is involved in clinics assessing children at risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders, and also assesses children at risk for developmental delays.
Medical Consultant
Snehal Khatri, MD is a Developmental Pediatrician currently on staff at Sparks Clinics and the UAB Department of Pediatrics. She serves as the STP medical consultant and is available to meet with families upon request. In addition to her departmental duties Dr. Khatri's medical practice includes several ongoing clinics at Spark's Clinics, including Family Place, a primary care practice and the Downs Syndrome Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Alabama.
About The Summer Treatment Program Model
The Pelham Summer Treatment Program has been a component of psychosocial treatment for children in clinical and prevention trials funded by the National Institutes of Health with well-documented positive results (see www.ctadd.net). Based on its strong treatment, research, and training record, the Summer Treatment Program has been named as a Model Program in Service Delivery in Child and Family Mental Health by the Section on Clinical Child Psychology (Section 1, Division 12) and the Division of Child Youth, and Family Services (Division 37) of the American Psychological Association.
Contact Information
For more information about the Summer Treatment Program contact Dr. Hodgens or Dr. Patterson at 205-934-5471 (email: bhodgens@uab.edu and cspatter@uab.edu).
References
1. Pelham, W.E., & Hoza, B (2005). The Role of Summer Treatment Programs in the Context of Comprehensive Treatment of ADHD. In E. Hibbs & P. Jensen (Eds.), Psychosocial treatments for child and adolescent disorders: Empirically based strategies for clinical practice, 2nd Edition (pp. 411-438). New York: APA Press.
2. Zachor, D.A., Hodgens, J.B., and Patterson, C.S. (2009). Treatment of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In J.L. Matson, et al (Eds.) Treating Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities. New York: Springer.
3. Mrug, S., & Hodgens, J.B. (2008). Behavioral Summer Treatment Program improves social and behavioral functioning of four children with Asperger's Disorder. Clinical Case Studies, 7, 171-190.
Links to Resources
To view comments about ADHD and the UAB Summer Treatment Program from parents click here.
For information on the Civitan-Sparks Clinics Behavioral Assessment Clinic click here.
AD/HD Parent Support Group
