Early Interventions Help Alex Thrive

Alex is a smart, confident and energetic 6-year-old boy who "brings big joy to everything he does," says his dad, Matt. When Alex was a toddler, the Early Childhood Behavioral Health team at Children's National diagnosed him with ADHD. His team also helped his family navigate related behavioral difficulties, such as disruptive tantrums during family activities and at daycare.

Matt and Heidi, Alex's mom, participated in specialized parent support groups as part of the program. "Support from others who had a child showing dysregulated behaviors was very helpful," says Heidi. "Otherwise, the situation felt lonely very quickly."

The family also participated in parent coaching as part of individual parent-child interaction therapy. This science-based treatment helps reduce stress and build relationships between parents and their children. "This rewired our parenting approach, got us on the same page for handling different situations and built a foundation of positive interactions between each of us individually with our son, who we adopted after fostering him as an infant." says Heidi. This wrap-around care at the hospital's Takoma Theatre location is close to home for the family.

"It's our village," says Matt. Alex is now in first grade and makes friends everywhere he goes. He plays soccer, basketball and T-ball and has fewer (and shorter) outbursts. He visits Cassi McCants, PsyD, for weekly play therapy appointments. The family, including Alex's older brother and sister, is back to adventuring together. "To see Alex smile when he works something out himself is a great feeling. Thanks to Children's National, Alex is on a path to a healthy, productive life."