Treatments

Clinical experience has shown that the most effective treatment for ADHD is a combination of medication (when necessary), therapy, and counseling or coaching to learn coping skills and adaptive behaviors.

Sometimes, when medication brings such immediate improvement, some people think medication is all that's needed. Although medication can be an important component in treating ADHD, it is only one piece of a responsible treatment plan. Medication doesn't cure the disorder; it only controls the symptoms. Other equally important components include providing a supportive environment, teaching the individual organizational skills, study skills, memory skills, time management skills, to learn how to be self-aware, about how they learn best, and what kind of physical setting is the most productive for them to work in.

Learning these skills is a long process that must be reinforced regularly until the desired skills become a routine habit that can be done without thinking. There is no quick and easy solution or cure.

Medications are often used to help normalize brain activity and to allow the person to be "available" to learn the skills that will be important at school and work. Stimulant medications including Ritalin, Dexedrine, and Adderall are commonly used because they have been shown to be most effective, however, many other medications may also be used at the discretion of the doctor.

Because ADD symptoms are so individual, each person needs individualized treatment and accommodations. In thinking of this individualized treatment plan, consider those who need to wear eye-glasses to see. Although many need glasses, each person needs a different prescription in order to see clearly. People with ADD must put forth enormous effort to produce close to the same results as people who do not have ADD.

ADHD is recognized as a disability under the ADA and reasonable accommodation is mandated. It is no more equitable to expect a person with a ADD to compete with non-disabled peers by simply applying self-control than it is to expect a physically disabled person to get up and walk. In the case of ADD, the accommodation is not made with an elevator or a ramp, but rather by developing the supportive infrastructure that allows the person to do what they are capable of doing and meet the demands of the school or work setting.

Therapists, educators, and physicians routinely teach children that ADD is a challenge, not an excuse. Appropriate medication corrects the underlying chemical imbalance, giving individuals a fair chance to learn and develop compensatory strategies. According to the NADDA, "Accommodations for the disabled, as mandated by federal and state laws, are not ways of excusing people from meeting societyís responsibilities, but rather make it possible for them to compete on a level playing field."

When a childís schoolwork and behavior improve after starting medication, people tend to applaud the dug for causing the change. The change is actually the result of the child's own strengths and natural abilities coming out from behind a cloud. Giving credit to the medication can make the child feel incompetent. The medication only makes the changes possible. The child supplies the effort and ability. To help children feel good about themselves, parents and teachers need to praise the child, not the drug.

It's also important for children and teens to feel comfortable about taking medications regularly. CH. A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders) a leading organization for people with attention disorders, suggests several ways to help children view their meds in a positive way: