O.K. So now you have taken the step of having your struggling child or teen
assessed by a professional, and he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. The psychologist, or therapist, or physician now wants
to begin a treatment program. But what should you know before you "sign off" on
any particular treatment approach?
Here are some suggestions for you to consider. The following are merely our
suggestions, but are based on having worked with over 1,000 children and teens
with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Use your best judgment. Talk with
your doctor. We don't want to be accused of practicing medicine across the
Internet. The suggestions that follow will vary depending on your child or
teen's diagnosis (such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Inattentive
Type vs. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Impulsive-Hyperactive Type,
and with or without temper problems, with or without some depression or anxiety,
and so on) and also on the time of the year in which you are beginning
treatment. To learn more about the different types of ADHD and specific
treatment strategies for each type.
During the summer vacation and early in the school year we like to try the
"alternative" interventions, such as the homeopathic nutraceutical medicines
Attend, its "cousin" nutraceutical Extress, our recommended eating program, and
essential fatty acid suppliments. EEG Biofeedback training is also a good
"alternative" treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder. If these strategies
work, and they will about 70% of the time, then we can keep the patient off of
medication and see them succeed.
If the diagnosis is made later in the school year we tend to recommend trials
of medication right away for just about everyone with Attention Deficit
Disorder, knowing that we have the summer coming up to try alternatives that
might be able to cut the dose of medication in half, or eliminate the need for
medication altogether. But later in the school year time becomes a larger
factor. We don't want the school year to be wasted or lost, so we need to try
the most powerful interventions at that time.
But here is our thinking. First we want to do what we can to "salvage" the
school year if we only have a few weeks left. Since medications can begin to
give benefits very quickly often the child will pass classes that he might have
failed otherwise. Additionally, by having a "real world" trial of medication
prior to the summer break, we can use the benefits received from the medication
as a "bench mark" with which to measure the effectiveness of the "alternative"
treatments that might be tried over the summer months.
Also, please remember when discussing these suggestions with your physician
or your psychologist, that old saying, "If the only tool that you own is a
hammer, then all the world looks like a nail." Professionals who are unfamiliar
with treatment options such as the "Attend" amino acids, or the EEG Biofeedback
training, will tend to discount them immediately out of their ignorance. I did
this myself for years, and this is where you must decide for yourself how best
to help your child or teen with Attention Deficit Disorder.
You can learn more about the six types of ADHD, specific treatment strategies for each type,
alternative treatments for ADHD, and much more at the ADHD Information
Library.
Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD
children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD
Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping
over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan
also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL.,
is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California,
and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.
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