Our Integrative Approach and Philosophy

“Grades do not improve for students who receive behavioral interventions alone”

Improving Academic Success May Also Improve Behavior

A common misconception held by most professionals and parents is that students must behave properly before academic learning is possible. Consequently, teachers often address behavior problems first in hopes of enhancing their student’s academic performance.

However, research on students with emotional and behavioral conditions is beginning to paint a different story. One study revealed that when academic tutoring was provided, the student’s behavior and grades improved. However the converse was not true; grades did not improve for students who received behavioral interventions alone.

This is consistent with research that suggests that some students may act out to avoid aversive academic tasks – tasks that do not match the students’ level, either being too easy or too difficult.

Tutoring to improve academic performance also had a positive effect on social skills that was comparable to psychosocial interventions, such as counseling or social skills training. Clearly, interventions that focus primarily on improving learning are more likely to improve behavior than interventions that target behavior problems directly.

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New Understanding of AD/HD
Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D

Extra Support Needed for School Success
Many students with AD/HD are successful in school because their parents are very good at providing a scaffolding of reminders and supports to help them manage day-to-day activities. Basically, parents are providing the executive functions that their child lacks.

The students’ impairments may emerge only when their parents are not present to provide this intensified support, for example, when the student has to write essays in class or has long-term assignments with multiple due dates, of which the parents are not aware.

When the parental scaffolding is removed or when the student moves away from home to attend college, these adolescents’ level of achievement can suddenly decline or they can experience unprecedented failure.