Treatments

Research has shown that certain medications, stimulants in most cases, and behavioral therapies that help children sit still, pay attention, and focus on tasks are the most beneficial treatments for children with ADHD.

Problems Faced by Families

ADHD can be reliably diagnosed when appropriate guidelines are used. Ideally, a health care practitioner making a diagnosis should include input from parents and teachers. But some health practitioners make a diagnosis without all this information and tend to either overdiagnose the disorder or underdiagnose it. Despite data showing that stimulant medication is safe, there are widespread misunderstandings about the safety and use of these drugs, and some health care practitioners are reluctant to prescribe them. Like all drugs, the medications used to treat ADHD do have side effects and need to be closely monitored.

Given the controversy in the health care community, parents need to think carefully about treatment choices when their child receives a diagnosis of ADHD. And when they pursue treatment for their children, families face high out-of-pocket expenses because treatment for ADHD and other mental illnesses is often not covered by insurance policies. In schools, treatment plans are often poorly integrated. In addition, there are few special education funds directed specifically for ADHD. All this leads to children who do not receive proper and adequate treatment. To overcome these barriers, parents may want to look for school-based programs that have a team approach involving parents, teachers, school psychologists, other mental health specialists, and physicians

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