Parenting Newsletter Aspen Education Group

In this issue:
Home Alone: Is Your Teen Mature Enough?

Internet Addiction Higher in Teens with ADHD and Depression

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SunHawk Recovery Center

SunHawk's substance abuse program offers intense treatment for teens experiencing emotional and alcohol or drug related problems in their lives. The 12-step based program is designed to provide a holistic approach to treatment. The ultimate goal of the long term, structured program is to teach adolescents and their families the tools to live an addiction-free, happy, healthy life. Call (866) 845-1391 to learn more about SunHawk Adolescent Recovery Center.

Copper Canyon Academy offers a warm, nurturing environment for girls ages 13-17 that are in need of a structured therapeutic environment. The Copper Canyon program promotes emotional and academic growth for every student and gives families the reassurance that there is a wonderful future ahead for their daughter.

Aspen Ranch is a licensed residential treatment center located in Loa, Utah. The Ranch's nationally renowned equine therapy program is just one part of an intensive therapeutic milieu that facilitates positive change in troubled teens. The strong work ethic inherent on the Ranch is fundamental to cultivating the characteristics of responsibility, discipline, respect and teamwork.

Turn-About Ranch is a place where old-time values such as hard work, honesty, respect, teamwork and accountability are the standard. Teens thrive in the unique environment of this spirited working cow-and-horse ranch. The objective of Turn-About Ranch is to provide a hard-hitting, high-impact therapeutic program that will remold and turn around the lives of rebellious teens.

Fall is a great time to enroll your teen in a wilderness program!

Phoenix Outdoor is a licensed wilderness-based substance abuse and chemical dependency treatment program for teenagers ages 13-17.

SUWS of the Carolinas is a therapeutic wilderness program that uses the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment environments, while engaging students using traditional therapeutic methods.

Four Circles Recovery Center for older teens and young adults ages 18-28 is an innovative addictions, substance abuse and co-occuring mental health disorders treatment program that combines a traditional counseling setting with extensive wilderness experiences.

Home Alone: Is Your Teen Mature Enough?

Take one teenager, add one empty home and what do you have? A recipe for disaster, say some child development experts. Give an inch and many teens will take advantage of their freedom by breaking the rules, partying with friends, gorging on junk food, spending hours in front of the TV, playing video games, or otherwise misbehaving.

Home Alone Teenager

But lots of parents are able to trust their teens to behave appropriately without adult supervision. And when parents trust their children enough to leave them home alone, they seize an opportunity to let their kids grow into responsible, independent adults. After all, in just a few years your teen may be living in a college dorm or starting a career - all without your careful oversight.

So how do you know if your teen is mature enough to stay home alone? Start by asking yourself the following questions:

Is your teen nervous or afraid of staying home alone?
Are you comfortable leaving your child home alone?
How safe is your neighborhood?
Is your child sensible, responsible and trustworthy?
Does your teen tend to make good decisions, follow directions, and take responsibility for daily tasks like homework and chores?
Does your child know how to use the stove and other appliances?
Does your teenager understand the dangers of opening the door for strangers or telling a caller that their parents are away?
Is your teen comfortable contacting you if there is a problem or if they made a mistake?
Do you have friends, family members or neighbors you can count on if your child needs help?

Most experts recommend considering these questions when your child is around 11 or 12 years old, and only when they begin to push for more independence. Of course, some younger children will be mature enough to stay home alone and some older teens still can’t be trusted. Keep in mind that some states have a minimum age for leaving children unsupervised, so call your local Department of Social Services before making a final decision.

Ready to leave your teen home alone? Learn about setting ground rules >>

Motivating Boys with ADHD: The Benefits of a Token Economy

Teenagers are notoriously bad at following the rules, but boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have unique struggles with managing their own behavior, even with tasks as seemingly simple as basic hygiene and getting ready for school. The very nature of ADHD makes it difficult for teens to exert self-control, pay attention, and listen to and follow instructions.

For many families, a typical day goes as follows: teen misbehaves, then parent yells, argues or gives in. But these responses, which draw attention and engage the teen in a discourse, reinforce the negative behavior and encourage more acting out.

Instead, experts at Stone Mountain School, a therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 11 to 17 with emotional, behavioral and learning issues such as ADHD, advise parents to set up a token economy similar to the one in place at the school.

How a Token Economy Works

A token economy is a reward system in which a parent or teacher creates a list of behaviors they’d like to encourage in the child, and the child is offered rewards for appropriate conduct.

“Kids with ADHD tend to get attention only when they’re doing something wrong,” says Leigh Uhlenkott, MS, LPC, NCC, LMHC, the clinical director at Stone Mountain School. “With a token economy, we focus our time and energy on rewarding the positives.”

At Stone Mountain School, some examples of desirable behaviors include:

Brushing teeth
Putting on clean clothes
Keeping a clean and tidy personal area
Good manners during meals
Completing chores on time
Cooperation, respect and participation in the classroom

The boys receive one point for each desired behavior, and accumulated points can be used to “buy” special snacks, supervised computer time, lunch with staff, iTunes gift cards, more phone time with their parents, special approved items their parents have sent or other rewards.

Every behavior is valued at one point so students aren’t able to manipulate the system by picking and choosing the rules to obey. Because the child has to want the reward in order for the system to be effective, the staff at Stone Mountain School requests feedback and suggestions from the students and tries to offer items that will motivate them.

Learn more about the benefits of the token economy used at Stone Mountain School >>

Risk of Internet Addiction Higher in Teens with ADHD and Depression

Between school, work, home and cell phones, it is hard to escape the Internet. As society becomes more reliant on the World Wide Web, the risk of Internet addiction increases. For one segment of the population, that is especially true.

Children and teens who are diagnosed with one of several emotional and behavioral disorders are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, according to a recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine:

Boys diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or hostility are more likely to become addicted to the Internet.
Girls diagnosed with depression or social phobia are more likely to develop an addiction to the Internet.

For children and teens with ADHD, the constant stimulation offered by the Internet (including social networking sites that are constantly updated and fast-paced video games) offers the perfect outlet. For those with depression, social phobia or hostility, the Internet has a therapeutic effect, permitting them to create their own online identity without having to function “normally” in the real world.

“If you have a child that is hyperactive, the Internet can move at their pace,” Michael Gilbert, a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, said in an Oct. 6 HealthDay News article. “If you have a child that is depressed or has social phobia, they can get in touch with other kids dealing with the same kinds of issues. They can go into artificial worlds, like ‘Second Life,’ where they can live out fantasies or take on different personas. For kids who have anger or hostility, the Internet gives them a chance to play out their aggression there.”

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