UMass Researchers, Psychological Services Center, Have New Program for Families of Hyperactive Preschool Children
Oct. 2, 2009
| Contact: | Patrick Callahan 413/545-0444 |
AMHERST, Mass. – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have designed a new program for parents of hyperactive preschool children. The program involves 11 to 14 weekly group sessions and one individual session at the university’s Psychological Services Center. There will also be individual assessments at the beginning and end. The group sessions are expected to begin in late October or early November.
The program has been designed by Lisa Harvey and Rebecca Stowe, faculty members in the UMass Amherst psychology department, and clinical psychology doctoral student Sharonne Herbert. This program focuses on teaching parents ways of developing and maintaining positive relationships with their children while managing some of the challenging behavior that is common among hyperactive preschoolers. Harvey notes that the program has “drawn elements from other parenting programs with proven effectiveness in helping older children with behavior problems, tailoring the techniques to the developmental issues of preschoolers.”
This program also provides a unique focus on how to handle the emotional outbursts that are common among hyperactive preschoolers. Harvey cautions parents not to be overly concerned about preschool children who show typical or even somewhat above average levels of hyperactivity or impulsive behavior. These behaviors are often perfectly normal and most children will outgrow them on their own. But as Harvey notes, “it is when children really stand out from their peers and have lots of difficulties at home and at preschool that it may be a sign that they may not easily outgrow their behavior.”
Preschool children are by nature very active. However, some preschool children are so active and impulsive that it creates problems for them. Harvey’s research at UMass Amherst recently followed almost 200 3-year-old children with behavior problems until age 6 to see how commonly children outgrow early difficulties, and found high levels of hyperactivity to be quite stable over time. Her findings suggested that some particularly hyperactive preschool children outgrow their hyperactivity, but about three-quarters do not.
The program is offered at no charge to eligible families in return for their participation. On-site supervised activities will be available for children for a small $2 fee per child per session. For information about the program, call Sharonne Herbert at 413/545-0041, or sdherber@psych.umass.edu, or visit www.umass.edu/psc and click on Parenting Program. The Psychological Services Center is located on the UMass campus at 135 Hicks Way-123 Tobin Hall, Amherst MA 01003. Free parking is available.
Contact: Lisa Harvey, 413/577-2755, 413/348-9048 or eharvey@psych.umass.edu
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