Are you looking for something more than medication to help improve your teen's behavior? New to 2008, the Center for Children and Families (CCF) at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) offers a summer program for teens based on the award-winning comprehensive Summer Treatment Program for younger children.
The Summer Treatment Program (STP) has a proven track record of effective treatment for more than 2,500 children and families. Based on its excellence in providing treatment for children with ADHD, the STP has been featured on national television news and in national magazines. The STP has also been used in clinical trials conducted under the auspices of the National Institute of Mental Health and has been named a Model Program in Child and Family Mental Health the American Psychological Association.
The program runs from late June or early July through mid-August, on weekdays. Go to Adolescent Summer Treatment Plan 2008 for current dates, hours, and rates or contact the CCF.
The STP offers a comprehensive treatment program for teen's behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. This program is composed of a set of evidence-based treatments incorporated into an 8-week therapeutic summer day camp setting. Group and tailored individual treatment plans are implemented by trained paraprofessionals under the supervision of experienced senior staff members.
Group sessions consist of 15 children paired with 5 clinical staff members for the duration of the day, encouraging development of group interaction and friendships.
Our Goals:
- Development of the adolescent's problem solving and social skills, and of the social awareness necessary to enable him/her to get along better with other adolescents
- Improvement of the adolescent's study skills, organization habits, and academic performance
- Development of the adolescent's abilities to follow instructions, to complete tasks that he/she commonly fails to finish, and to comply with adults' requests
- Improvement of the adolescent's self-esteem by developing competencies in areas necessary for success in adolescence, such as leadership skills, interpersonal skills, athletics, and academics
- Increased familiarity with the process of applying for, obtaining, and holding a part-time job, as well as managing one’s earnings
- Instruction of parents in how to develop, reinforce, and maintain these positive changes
- If appropriate, evaluation of the effects of medication on the child's academic and social functioning in a natural setting
Treatment
Treatment includes individually adapted reward and response-cost programs aimed at improving behavior, organization, academic performance and social skills; training in group problem solving, social, and contracting skills; strategies for efficient studying, enhanced test performance, and complete and accurate note-taking; time out, and a daily feedback system. Adolescents will apply for and hold paid positions within the STP (i.e. junior counselor, newspaper editor, business manager), and the group will plan and manage its own business. Treatment plans and strategies are continuously monitored and modified as necessary.
Typical Adolescent Program Schedule:
| 7:30-8:00 | Arrivals, review of behavioral targets with staff |
| 8:00-9:00 | Recreation |
| 9:00-9:30 | Interpersonal Skills group |
| 10:00-10:30 | Business Meeting |
| 10:30-11:30 | Academic Skills Class |
| 11:30-12:00 | Lunch |
| 12:30-1:30 | History Class |
| 2:00-3:00 | Recreation |
| 3:00-3:30 | Adolescent Prevention Education |
| 4:00-5:00 | Daily Job Duties |
| 5:00-5:30 | Departures |
Treatment Summary
A final report, which includes detailed information regarding the effects of these interventions and recommendations for future treatment, is sent to parents and referring professionals at the end of the program.
Parent Training Groups
Parents form an integral part of STP by participating in weekly group evening sessions. Parent sessions are designed to help parents develop skills to reduce problem behaviors, to improve their child's task skills and relationships with parents and peers, and to maintain and extend the gains made in the STP to the child's natural at-home environment.
Medication Evaluation
If indicated, the efficacy of medication treatment for the child is evaluated. A comprehensive and carefully controlled evaluation is conducted covering all major areas of the child's functioning (i.e., social behavior, academic performance and productivity, and self concept) that could be affected by medication treatment. By evaluating medication effects in conjunctions with other treatments, the effectiveness of combining medication with those treatments is addressed. Following assessment of medication effects, the program provides the referring physician and parents with a report detailing the child's response to medication and makes specific recommendations regarding the possible usefulness of psychoactive medication for continued treatment.
Eligibility
Adolescents entering grades 7-10 are eligible . Enrollment is limited, and participants are selected based on an evaluation conducted by program staff. Psychological tests required for admission are performed by program staff, but recent testing from other sources may be acceptable in some cases. Teens with ADHD, oppositional disorders, aggression, learning problems, or teens with mixed behavior and learning problems are evaluated. Referrals can be made by school personnel, mental health professionals, physicians, or parents. Those adolescents who meet certain criteria are offered admission.
STP Staff
The program is implemented by highly trained, undergraduate paraprofessional therapists, students pursing advanced degrees in psychology, and educational specialists. Supervision and oversight are carried out by highly experienced staff members who have been conducting treatment programs for ADHD children for over 20 years. The psychosocial and behavioral aspects of the program are supervised by doctoral level psychologists. The medical aspects of program are supervised by developmental pediatricians and/or child psychiatrists. While in the classroom, children are supervised by a teacher and a developmental aide. For more information on working in the STP, please see the Employment and Internship Opportunities page
Program Evaluation and Investigation
The STP-A is based on the STP for younger children which uses treatments that have only been well documented and shown to be effective through research; however, program staff continue to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Data are gathered via several methods, including observational, psychometric, neuropsychological, and rating measures, evaluated to determine individual and group responses to treatments.
To help further the understanding of behavioral problems in children, information is gathered from children and their families enrolled in the program. Children may be asked to participate in a variety of programs, including performance measures of computerized tasks involving different aspects of learning, attention, and memory, or assessing how children interact with one another in competitive task situations. Similarly, parents may be asked to complete rating scales or to be observed in controlled settings that measure different aspects of family functioning. In order to maintain confidentiality and a complete understanding of these projects, parents are asked to sign consent forms that describe each project prior to their child's participation in the project.
Fees
Fees for the Summer Treatment Program are established in recognition of the cost of offering such a service. Health insurance plans may cover portions of the cost of this program; however, payment levels vary depending on the specific provisions of respective plans. During the application and screening process, each parent has an opportunity to meet with a representative from the Center for Children and Families, who can answer questions concerning health care benefits and other important financial aspects associated with the Summer Treatment Program.
How to Apply
To learn dates of the upcoming program and to initiate the application
and screening process, interested parents or professionals should call
the Center for Children and Families at 716.829.2244 ext. 5, between
9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday throught Friday, or write to:
Center for Children and Families
State University of New York at Buffalo
106 Diefendorf Hall
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
Application forms and instructions are also available for download
(Acrobat Reader required)
Enrollment is limited, and parents are encouraged to apply as
early as possible
Please note that the STP-A is a day treatment and does not provide housing for children. Parents who do not live in the Buffalo area may pursue their own housing arrangements for the summer.
STP-A Sites Around the World
In addition to the site in Buffalo, STP-As are underway this summer at other sites. Interested applicants should contact these sites directly for additional information:
- James Madison University, Attention and Learning Disability Clinic,
Harrisonburg, VA
Kathryn Van Eck or Carrie Light ( 540) 568-6484.
For more information about the STP, contact:
UB Center for Children and Families
State University of New York at Buffalo
106 Diefendorf Hall
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone:716.829.2244
Fax: 716.829.3692
Summer Treatment Program for younger children
Treatment Programs Application Packet (PDF)