Thanks for your replies. It does sound like cognitive behavioral therapy is the way to go. But for a 5 year old if the therapy is mainly for the parental support (re building routines etc.), should we also schedule sessions for our 5 year old? I wonder how a therapist can do cognitive behavioral therapy with a 5 year old....

Look up studies on behavior therapy and medication for ADHD and you will find that behavior therapy can be very helpful. Play therapy is more for kids with autism spectrum disorders from what I understand because it is about establishing a connection (and many people think it's a bunch of B.S. for kids on the spectrum) and that behavior therapy is the way to go. A behavioral approach can be helpful for helping kids build attention skills--it's not just for behavior management per se.

My ADHD son is 8. We haven't done play or CB therapy, but we do OT. The OT is working with my son on learning how to personally control his level of stimulation.

everyone i know whose kids have adhd or similar issues who have tried play therapy eventually wound up in a therapy that focused on behavior - could be cognitive behavior or something else. At the end of the day, for a 5 year old, a large part of success is about putting in place structures/routines to help the parents use skills appropriate for the child. At 5, most the the interventions would be for the parent - how to provide structure in the am so the child arrives at school on time without any meltdowns - child or parent. How to provide the child with support so they stay on task at home and learn how to plan. How to handle even routine in a similar successful manner.....

Parenting kids with challenges is hard work and many of us need extra support to ensure that we use consistent and appropriate parenting techniques. good luck.

Our son is 5 and has a dx of ADHD. We are looking for a therapist as he transitions into kindergarten next Fall. Do most children with ADHD do play therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy? His issues are impulse control, low frustration levels, problem-solving, anxiety with new situations/new kids, not liking authority etc. We are not on meds yet. We have had some parent training, but do most people also do private therapy and if so, what kind? He is pretty young, but we worry that play therapy would just go on and on and is unstructured. Thanks!