ADHD Treatment - Therapies to Medicines - A To Z ADHD Cure

Every family wants to determine what treatment will be most effective for their child. This question needs to be answered by each family in consultation with their health care professional. To help families make this important decision, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has funded many studies of treatments for ADHD and has conducted the most intensive study ever undertaken for evaluating the treatment of this disorder.

This study is known as the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA). The NIMH is now conducting a clinical trial for younger children ages 3 to 5.5 years (Treatment of ADHD in Preschool-Age Children).

Recommendation for ADHD Treatment

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also known as ADHD commonly should be accepted as a chronic condition. The treatment programs of ADHD should be devised as a child-specific, individualized treatment program. This program should be developed for children which can maximize or improve relationships and performance at school, reduce disruptive behaviors, enhanced safety, hight independencenincrease independence and self esteem.

Other include that stimulant medications or behavior therapy you select are appropriate and safe treatments for ADHD and that children should have regular and systematic follow-up to monitor goals and possible side effects. If a child doesn't respond to a medication or continues to have problems, the treatment is stopped and he is left to continue to do poorly at school, have behavior problems and poor relationships with others. AAP recommends that when the selected management for a child with ADHD has not met target outcomes, clinicians should evaluate the original diagnosis, use of all appropriate treatments.

Different treatment options for ADHD

A positive attitude and common sense are your best assets for treating ADD/ADHD.
When you are in a good frame of mind, you are more likely to be able to connect with your own needs or your child’s.
Keep things in perspective. Remember that your child’s or your own behavior is related to a disorder. Most of the time it is not intentional.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. One chore left undone isn’t a big deal when your child has completed two others. If you didn’t finish the project tonight, you can do it in the morning.
Believe in yourself or your child. Think about or make a written list of everything that is positive, valuable, and unique about the person with ADD/ADHD, whether it is you or your child. Trust that this person can learn, change, and succeed.
Try to exercise on most days. You don’t have to go to the gym. A 30-minute walk four times a week is enough to provide benefits. Thirty minutes of activity every day is even better.
Pick something enjoyable, so you’ll stick with it. Activities that require close attention to body movements, such as dance, gymnastics, martial arts, and skateboarding, are particularly good. Team sports are also a good choice. The social element keeps them interesting.
Get out into nature. Studies show that spending time in nature can reduce the symptoms of ADD/ADHD in both children and adults.
Double up on the benefits by combining “green time” with exercise. Try hiking, trail running, or walking in a local park or scenic area.

Alternative Treatment for ADHD

Have regular meals or snacks no more than three hours apart. Hence ear frequent and less, this will take you have lots of fresh energy into blood stream.
Make sure you’re getting enough zinc, iron, and magnesium in your diet. You can choose a fottified product like a multivitamin etc.
Take protein and complex carbohydrates in every meal. They let you feel more alert and reduces hyperactivity.
Omega-3 fatty acids improve mental focus in people with ADD/ADHD. This can be found in salmon, tuna, sardines, and some fortified eggs and milk products.

Behavior Therapy for ADHD

Behavior therapy or behavior management can be used to treat children with ADHD. It involves several simple and sensible notions about what leads children to behave in socially appropriate ways. It also involves providing your child with positive consequences for behaving in appropriate ways.

Be very clear about what behavior is expected of your child in order to earn the reward and make sure your child's understands this.
Make sure that the expectation you have for your child is reasonable - do not set you and your child up for failure by having expectations that are not appropriate for your child's age.
Don't try to work on too many different things at one time.
Let your child participate in choosing the types of rewards he or she can earn
Design the program so your child has a good chance to experience some initial success.
Be sure to provide lots of social rewards in addition to the more tangible rewards that can be earned.

Psychological Treatment of ADHD

Fixing schedules and time table can help ADHD children very much. It is the effort of the child that matters and not grades, so reward him for that. Mark a fixed place for homework and play for the child, where there is no distraction such as other people, TV and video games. Schedule frequent breaks and this will help him distract positively. Post the rules and the results for obeying or disobeying rules. Explain each of them to your child.

The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The MTA study included 579 (95-98 at each of 6 treatment sites) elementary school boys and girls with ADHD, who were randomly assigned to one of four treatment programs: (1) medication management alone; (2) behavioral treatment alone; (3) a combination of both; or (4) routine community care. In each of the study sites, three groups were treated for the first 14 months in a specified protocol and the fourth group was referred for community treatment of the parents' choosing. All of the children were reassessed regularly throughout the study period. An essential part of the program was the cooperation of the schools, including principals and teachers. Both teachers and parents rated the children on hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as social skills.

The children in two groups (medication management alone and the combination treatment) were seen monthly for one-half hour at each medication visit. During the treatment visits, the prescribing physician spoke with the parent, met with the child, and sought to determine any concerns that the family might have regarding the medication or the child's ADHD-related difficulties. The physicians, in addition, sought input from the teachers on a monthly basis. The physicians in the medication-only group did not provide behavioral therapy but did advise the parents when necessary concerning any problems the child might have.

In the behavior treatment-only group, families met up to 35 times with a behavior therapist, mostly in group sessions. These therapists also made repeated visits to schools to consult with children's teachers and to supervise a special aide assigned to each child in the group. In addition, children attended a special 8-week summer treatment program where they worked on academic, social, and sports skills, and where intensive behavioral therapy was delivered to assist children in improving their behavior.

Children in the combined therapy group received both treatments, that is, all the same assistance that the medication-only received, as well as all of the behavior therapy treatments.

In routine community care, the children saw the community-treatment doctor of their parents' choice one to two times per year for short periods of time. Also, the community-treatment doctor did not have any interaction with the teachers.

The results of the study indicated that long-term combination treatments and the medication-management alone were superior to intensive behavioral treatment and routine community treatment. And in some areas-anxiety, academic performance, oppositionality, parent-child relations, and social skills-the combined treatment was usually superior. Another advantage of combined treatment was that children could be successfully treated with lower doses of medicine, compared with the medication-only group.

Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool-Age Children (PATS).

Because many children in the preschool years are diagnosed with ADHD and are given medication, it is important to know the safety and efficacy of such treatment. The NIMH is sponsoring an ongoing multi-site study, "Preschool ADHD Treatment Study" (PATS). It is the first major effort to examine the safety and efficacy of a stimulant, methylphenidate, for ADHD in this age group. The PATS study uses a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design. Children ages 3 to 5 who have severe and persistent symptoms of ADHD that impair their functioning are eligible for this study. To avoid using medications at such an early age, all children who enter the study are first treated with behavioral therapy. Only children who do not show sufficient improvement with behavior therapy are considered for the medication part of the study. The study is being conducted at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of California at Irvine. Enrollment in the study will total 165 children.

Which Treatment Should My Child Have?

For children with ADHD, no single treatment is the answer for every child. A child may sometimes have undesirable side effects to a medication that would make that particular treatment unacceptable. And if a child with ADHD also has anxiety or depression, a treatment combining medication and behavioral therapy might be best. Each child's needs and personal history must be carefully considered.

Causes of ADHD
Disorders that Sometimes Accompany ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults - Treatment and medication of ADHD in Adults
Your Teenager with ADHD
ADHD Child - Your ADHD Child and School, The Family and the ADHD Child
ADHD Medication

ADHD Overview -- ADHD Treatment -- Diagnosing ADHD -- ADHD symptoms -- adhd