Working with Multiple Children in One Family

A participant in my recent workshop to teach professionals to teach executive functioning skills using my Seeing My Time program e-mailed me a good question.

She has a family with two children with ADHD. The question was, should she teach both children these executive function skills simultaneously or one child at a time?

I told her that there are several factors to consider: the students’ ages, how they get along, family dynamics between the parents, and if one or the other have a specific learning difference that would significantly slow down their responses. I always discuss the sibling dynamics and differences beforehand with the parent.

I have successfully taught family groups of two children. It can be done. However, I also had a dominant teenager (aided and abetted by his father) sabotage the experience for the whole family. In the end they didn’t finish the course, which was very sad for the younger child who would have benefited greatly and would have positively participated without the influence of the elder sibling.

So, working with two children in the same family at the same time needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis, through careful questioning of the parent. If you are new to the Seeing My Time program, it might be best to work with one student at a time while you become more comfortable in your role as instructor.