Treatment Options for ADHD

Treatment Options for ADHD: Putting the Pieces Together 

It is considered "best practice" for children with attention difficulties to have multiple interventions simultaneously to provide the best emotional and behavioral outcomes.  Successful interventions include educational support, medication management as needed, parent training, and behavioral interventions at school and home.[1]  The treatment for ADHD is similar to a puzzle with many pieces that fit together.  Medication and therapy are often two large pieces of the puzzle, along with several other important pieces including assessing children to further explore their academic needs, establishing school accommodations, increasing communication between school and home, utilizing behavioral plans in the home, providing group interventions, incorporating nutritional plans, exercising, and using biofeedback.

 A therapist who specializes in working with children with ADHD creates a treatment plan with the family to provide the most comprehensive assistance for a child given their specific needs (in a sense, helping to put these various pieces together for the most complete picture).  In addition, therapy is utilized to provide support for parents in establishing behavior plans that work in conjunction with school officials and set accommodations to best support the child's growth, academic success, and appropriate behaviors in his or her multiple environments.  Therapy is also a place to discuss various emotions that usually arise for children who commonly experience poor academic performance or difficulties socializing with peers.

Group therapy interventions can be incredibly helpful in treating ADHD since children with attention difficulties often struggle greatly in their social interactions with others. Seventy-five percent of children with learning disabilities have been found to show some difficulties in social skills which interferes with their ability to learn.[2]  Research on social skill instruction demonstrates that quality interventions:

1.     focus on social and emotional learning strategies that encourage reflection and self-awareness
2.     create opportunities to practice effective social skills both individually and in groups
3.     adjust instruction strategies to address social skills deficits
4.     tailor social skills interventions to individual needs.[3]

Medication is often considered an extremely effective and viable treatment option for ADHD.[4]  Many parents often have concerns about medications including possible side-effects and other parents worry about what medicating their child really means.  I find that children who tend to have the best response to medication are often those connected with physicians who are responsive to parents' questions and concerns regarding medication.  Often when a family feels comfortable with their physician, informative and helpful discussions regarding topics such as the pros and cons of medication as well as the best approaches to mitigate side effects, can take place.  Parents who work closely with a professional to examine a child's response to medication can dramatically help to minimize side effects and support a positive outcome with medication.  I also strongly recommend that parents do not alter medication dosage or stop medications without first discussing this with their physicians.  This behavior occurs frequently and greatly decreases the benefits that medication can have as a viable treatment option.


There are several alternative approaches outlined below that have been found to be effective in treating attention difficulties.[5]  Parents who are more interested in alternative approaches can find consulting with a naturopathic physician or a nutritionist specializing in ADHD to be helpful.  Nutritional interventions can include basic changes such as making sure a child:

1.     eats breakfast every morning
2.     has an adequate level of protein at each meal
3.     limits high-sugar juices and sodas
4.     decreases caffeine and energizing carbohydrate intake in the evenings

In addition, having children tested for heavy metals and their absorption of various essential minerals can be beneficial as children with attention difficulties often have irregularities in these areas.  Biofeedback is another alternative treatment option that has been demonstrated to be effective for some children with ADHD to normalize brainwave patterns that impact concentration and learning.  There is also clear research demonstrating the powerful impact that exercise can have improving attention and learning.

[1]CHAAD: Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Understanding AD/HD: How is ADHD treated?  Retrieved July 23, 2007 from Chadd.org Web site: http://www.chadd.org/Content/CHADD/Understanding/Treatment/default.htm
[2]Kavale & Forness (1995); as cited in Steedly, K. M., Schwartz, A., Levin, M., & Luke, S. D., (2008). Social skills and academic achievement. Evidence for Education, vol 3, issue 2.
[3]Steedly, K. M., Schwartz, A., Levin, M., & Luke, S. D., (2008). Social skills and academic achievement. Evidence for Education, vol 3, issue 2.
[4] Monastra, V. (2005). Parenting Children With Adhd: 10 Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach
[5] Monastra, V. (2005). Parenting Children With Adhd: 10 Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach