ADHD Treatment... What's Most Effective?

ADHD Treatment...What Treatments Are Available?

For decades, medications have been used as the main ADHD treatment for the symptoms of ADHD. Three medications in the class of drugs known as stimulants seem to be the most effective in both children and adults. These are methylphenidate (Ritalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine or Dextrostat), and pemoline (Cylert). Plus...Strattera (a non-stimulant drug), fairly new, is coming in with excellent results.

For many people, these medicines dramatically reduce their hyperactivity and improve their ability to focus, work, and learn. The medications may also improve physical coordination, such as handwriting and ability in sports.

Recent research by NIMH suggests that these medicines may also help children with an accompanying conduct disorder to control their impulsive, destructive behaviors.

Ritalin can help many focus on and complete tasks for the first time. Dexedrine can help an ADD ADHD to sit quietly, focus his attention more. Also to become less impulsive and aggressive. Along with these changes the ability to make and keep friends can be improved.

Unfortunately, when people see such immediate improvement, they often think medication is all that's needed as an effective ADHD treatment. But these medicines don't cure the disorder, they only temporarily control the symptoms.

Although the drugs help people pay better attention and complete their work, they can't increase knowledge or improve academic skills. The drugs alone can't help people feel better about themselves or cope with problems. These changes require other kinds of treatment and support.

For lasting improvement, numerous clinicians recommend that medications should be used along with treatments that aid in these other areas.

Remember, there are no quick cures in ADD treatment.

Many experts believe that the most significant, long-lasting gains appear when medication is combined with behavioral therapy, emotional counseling, and practical support. (Note: Always check with your physician for proper medical advice concerning drugs)

Additional Articles:

There are a lot of myths about ADD ADHD medications. Some are true, many are not. Here's some facts to help you get it straight when it concerns ADD ADHD meds.

It is important to work with the prescribing physician to find the right ADHD medicine and the right dosage. For many people, the stimulants dramatically reduce their hyperactivity and impulsivity and improve their ability to focus, work, and learn.

Although the ADHD drugs help the child pay better attention and complete school work, they can't increase knowledge or improve academic skills. ADHD drug(s) can help the child to use those skills he or she already possesses.

Determine when your energy level is highest, Time and treatment: schedule your best time (the time when your energy level is the highest) and do important tasks during that time period. Establish goals (long-term), (mid-term), and (short-term). Set Priorities...

The reason an ADD coach can be helpful is because your own coach or therapist will look at you and your family on an individual case. He or she will take your family dynamics and individual

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Is There An ADHD Natural Remedy That Works?

ADHD Natural Remedy? Do any work? If not, are there other methods that will help?

There are a wide variety of ADHD natural remedy (s) for ADD ADHD being promoted on the world wide web and elsewhere. Megavitamin therapy...which is the prescription of vitamins in quantities greatly

in excess of the Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines has been suggested as a treatment for hyperactivity and learning disabilities.

L Tyrosine. This is an amino acid (a protein) that the body uses to synthesize dopamine and norepinephrine, the two neurotransmitters believed to be involved in ADD ADHD.

These neurotransmitters are the targets of the medications used to treat attention deficit disorder. Some studies have shown that children with add adhd may have lower levels of this amino acid.

By increasing the intake of L Tyrosine through diet or supplements, it is possible to increase the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine available in the brain.

It has been seen in clinical practice that some ADD ADHD sufferers, including both children and teens have benefited from taking one or two Tyrosine tablets per day in conjunction with psychological interventions.

There are...however some over-the-counter supplements that have been shown to improve the add adhd symptoms.

The alternative community’s thought is that there are four major alternatives to stimulant drug therapy:

Natural drugs and homeopathy, counseling, assistive technology school support services and EEG biofeedback.

How effective are they?

Alternatives to stimulant medications, like an ADHD natural remedy, cover a wide range of approaches. Support of their effectiveness is determined by their method.

Self-confidence in one's capabilities is the central goal of the therapy and counseling method.

More psychological than physical, therapy guides and reassures add adhd patients on their abilities and provides daily behavior and attention management.k/

Therapy covers a wide range of treatments from psychological and behavioral treatments to routine community care, all helping people cope with their disability.

People are treated on individual basis. The personal and intimate style of therapy helps patients become comfortable with their disability and personal management on their own.

Similar to therapy, assistive technology focuses on specific and individual abilities.

The method works to improve student's self-esteem in the classroom. By working on problem solving skills for youth and adolescents, assistive technology is directed towards the classroom.

Direct teacher strategic assistance provides students with a clear orientation. The method bases itself on teaching strategies for the classroom and individual products to help the student overcome minor difficulties.

Products like handheld spell-checks to improve spelling, reinforce the student's self-esteem. This method has been shown to work best for college students. Though specific strategies such as direct instruction and control of task difficulty have shown to work in younger people.

A non-stimulant, alternative biological method, EEG biofeedback, guides the brain in management of the central nervous system.

Brainwaves are measured and controlled through an EEG, electroencephalogram, which regulates the body and psychological functions for the ADD ADHD.

The patient is connected to conductor pads, which read the brainwaves, while simultaneously observing the waves that appear as colored bars on a graph.

Control of the brainwaves is the goal of the exercise, moving the colored bars move either up or down, producing slow and fast brainwaves.

Response to "Brainwave training" has been mixed; studies show that improvement is shown, though the amount of improvement can be minimal. The home setting can affect the results, along with age and degree of disability of patient.

All that being said...there are some over the counter adhd natural remedy (s) that will help the person with add adhd.

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ADHD Diagnosis

ADHD Diagnosis... Types of Professionals Who Can Give You The Most Help...

ADHD Diagnosis...

School-age and preschool children are often evaluated by a school psychologist or a team made up of the school psychologist and other specialists for an ADHD diagnosis.

But what if the school doesn't believe the student has a problem? Or what if the family wants another opinion.

The family may need to see a specialist in private practice.

In such cases, who can the family turn to? What kinds of specialists do they need?

Here's a table showing who's qualified to make an ADHD diagnosis...

Speciality	Can Diagnose ADHD	Can Prescribe Medications... If Needed	Provides Counseling Or Training
Psychiatrists	Yes	Yes	Yes
Psychologists	Yes	No	Yes
Pediatritions Of Family Physicians	Yes	Yes	No
Neurologists	Yes	Yes	No

The family can start by talking with the child's pediatrician or their family doctor to start the ADHD diagnosis.

Some pediatricians may do the assessment themselves, but more often they refer the family to an appropriate specialist they know and trust.

In addition, state and local agencies that serve families and children, as well as some of the volunteer organizations can help identify an appropriate specialist.

Knowing the differences in qualifications and services can help the family choose someone who can best meet their needs.

Besides school psychologists, there are several types of specialists qualified to diagnose and treat ADD ADHD.

Child psychiatrists are doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating childhood mental and behavioral disorders.

A Psychiatrist:

Can provide therapy and prescribe any needed medications.

Psychologists:

Are not medical doctors and must rely on the child's physician to do medical exams and prescribe medication. Child psychologists are also qualified to diagnose and treat ADHD. They can provide therapy for the child and help the family develop ways to deal with the disorder.

Neurologists:

These are physicians who work with disorders of the brain and nervous system. They can also make an ADHD diagnosis and prescribe medicines.

But unlike psychiatrists and psychologists, neurologists usually do not provide therapy for the emotional aspects of the disorder.

Adults who think they may have AD ADHD can also seek a psychologist, psychiatrist, or neurologist.

But at present, not all specialists are skilled in making an ADHD diagnosis or treating ADD ADHD in adults.

Within each specialty, individual doctors and mental health professionals differ in their experience with ADD ADHD.

So in selecting a specialist, it's important to find someone with specific training and experience in diagnosing and treating the disorder.

Additional Articles:

ADHD misdiagnosis...if you or your child has recently experienced a traumatic event and shows symptoms such as inattention and hyperactivity, this could be situational behavior related to the event, ADHD misdiagnosis. This could indicate emotional problems that need to be...

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Homework: A Concern for the Whole Family

Homework is an opportunity for the adhd student to learn and for families to be involved in their children’s education. However, helping the adhd student with homework isn’t always easy. At parent-teacher meetings and in conferences with parents, teachers often hear questions such as:

How can I get Michael (ADHD student) to do his homework? Every night it’s a struggle to get him to turn off the TV and do his homework.

Why isn’t my ADHD student...Maria getting more homework?

Why is Jonathan getting so much homework?

When is Suki supposed to do homework? She takes piano lessons, sings in her church choir, plays basketball and helps with family chores. There’s hardly any time left to study.

How can I help Robert with his math homework when I don’t understand it?

Do homework assignments really help my child learn?

The Basics

Before discussing ways that you can help your adhd student with homework, it is important to discuss why teachers assign homework and how it benefits your child.

Why Do Teachers Assign Homework?

Teachers assign homework for many reasons. Homework can help their adhd student(s)

review and practice what they’ve covered in class

get ready for the next day’s class

learn to use resources, such as libraries, reference materials and computer Web sites to find information about a subject

explore subjects more fully than classroom time permits

extend learning by applying skills they already have to new situations

integrate their learning by applying many different skills to a single task, such as book reports or science projects.

Homework also can help the adhd student to develop good study habits and positive attitudes. It can

teach them to work independently

encourage self-discipline and responsibility (assignments provide some children with their first chance to manage time and to meet deadlines).

In addition, homework can help create greater understanding between families and teachers and provide opportunities for increased communication. Monitoring homework keeps families informed about what their children are learning and about the policies and programs of the teacher and the school.

Set a Regular Time for Homework

Having a regular time to do homework helps children to finish assignments.

The best schedule is one that works for your child (adhd student) and your family. What works well in one household may not work in another. Of course, a good schedule depends in part on your adhd student's age as well as her specific needs.

For instance, one child may do homework best in the afternoon, completing homework first or after an hour of play and another may do it best after dinner. However, don’t let your child leave homework to do just before bedtime.

Your child’s outside activities, such as sports or music lessons, may mean that you need a flexible homework schedule. Your child may study after school on some days and after dinner on others.

If there isn’t enough time to finish homework, your child may need to drop some outside activity. Let her know that homework is a high priority.

You’ll need to work with your elementary school child to develop a schedule. An older student can probably make up a schedule independently, although you’ll want to make sure that it’s a workable one.

You may find it helpful to write out his schedule and put it in a place where you’ll see it often, such as on the refrigerator door.

Some families have a required amount of time that their children must devote to homework or some other learning activities each school night (the length of time can vary depending upon the child’s age).

For instance, if your seventh grader knows she’s expected to spend an hour doing homework, reading or visiting the library, she may be less likely to rush through assignments so that she can watch TV. A required amount of time may also discourage her from “forgetting” to bring home assignments and help her adjust to a routine.

Pick a Place

Your child’s homework area doesn’t have to be fancy. A desk in the bedroom is nice, but for many children, the kitchen table or a corner of the living room works just fine. The area should have good lighting and it should be fairly quiet.

Your child may enjoy decorating a special area for homework. A plant, a brightly colored container to hold pencils and some favorite artwork taped to the walls can make homework time more pleasant.

Remove Distractions

Turn off the TV and discourage your child from making and receiving social telephone calls during homework time. (A call to a classmate about an assignment, however, may be helpful.)

Some children work well with quiet background music, but loud noise from the CD player, radio or TV is not OK.

One history teacher laments, “I’ve actually had a kid turn in an assignment that had written in the middle, ‘And George Washington said, “Ohhhhh, I love you.”’

The kid was so plugged into the music that he wasn’t concentrating.”

If you live in a small or noisy household, try having all family members take part in a quiet activity during homework time. You may need to take a noisy toddler outside or into another room to play.

If distractions can’t be avoided, your child may want to complete assignments in the local library.

Provide Supplies and Identify Resources

Have available pencils, pens, erasers, writing paper and a dictionary. Other supplies that might be helpful include a stapler, paper clips, maps, a calculator, a pencil sharpener, tape, glue, paste, scissors, a ruler, a calculator, index cards, a thesaurus and an almanac.

If possible, keep these items together in one place. If you can’t provide your child with needed supplies, check with her teacher, school guidance counselor or principal about possible sources of assistance.

For books and other information resources, such as suitable computer Web sites, check with the school library or your local public library.

Some libraries have homework centers designed especially to assist children with school assignments (they may even have tutors and other kinds of individual assistance).

You may want to ask your child’s teacher to explain school policy about the use of computers for homework. Certainly, computers are great learning and homework tools.

Your child can use her computer not only for writing reports and for getting information through Internet resource sites, but for “talking” with teachers and classmates about assignments.

In many schools, teachers post information about homework assignments and class work on their own Web sites, which also may have an electronic bulletin board on which students can post questions for the teacher and others to answer assignments successfully.

Some schools may offer after-school programs that allow your child to use the school computers. And many public libraries make computers available to children.

Set a Good Example

Show your child that the skills he is learning are an important part of the things he will do as an adult. Let him see you reading books, newspapers and computer screens; writing reports, letters, e-mails and lists; using math to balance your checkbook or to measure for new carpeting; doing other things that require thought and effort.

Tell your child about what you do at work.

Help your child to use everyday routines to support the skills he is learning—for example, teach him to play word and math games

help him to look up information about things in which he is interested—singers, athletes, cars, space travel and so forth; and talk with him about what he sees and hears as the two of you walk through the neighborhood, go shopping at the mall or visit a zoo or museum.

>Be Interested and Interesting

Make time to take your child to the library to check out materials needed for homework (and for enjoyment) and read with your child as often as you can. Talk about school and learning activities in family conversations.

Ask your child what was discussed in class that day. If she doesn’t have much to say, try another approach. For example, ask her to read aloud a story she wrote or to talk about what she found out from a science experiment.

Attend school activities, such as parent-teacher conferences, plays, concerts, open houses and sports events. If you can, volunteer to help in your child’s classroom or at special events.

Getting to know some of your child’s classmates and their parents builds a support network for you and your child. It also shows your child that his home and school are a team.

How to Help: Monitor Assignments

Children are more likely to complete homework successfully when parents monitor their assignments. How closely you need to monitor your child depends upon her age, how independent she is and how well she does in school. Whatever the age of your child, if she is not getting assignments done satisfactorily, she requires more supervision.

Here are some ways to monitor your child’s assignments.

Ask about the School’s Homework Policy

At the start of the school year, ask your child’s teacher about any rules or guidelines that children are expected to follow as they complete homework. Ask about the kinds of assignments that will be given and the purposes for the assignments.

Talk with the teacher about your role in helping with homework. Expectations for parent involvement vary from teacher to teacher.

Some teachers want parents to monitor homework closely, whereas others want them simply to check to make sure the assignment is completed on time.

Ask the teacher to call if any problems with homework come up. Let her know that you will do the same.

Be Available

Many elementary school students often like to have someone with them to answer questions as they work on assignments. If your child is cared for by someone else, talk to that caregiver about how to deal with homework.

For an older child, if no one will be around, let him know when you want him to begin work and call to remind him if necessary.

However, if the teacher has made it known that the adhd student is to do homework on their own, limit your assistance to your child to assuring that assignments are clear and that necessary supplies are provided.

Too much parent involvement can make children dependent—and takes away from the value of homework as a way for children to become independent and responsible.

Look over Completed Assignments

It’s usually a good idea to check to see that your elementary school child has finished her assignments. If your middle-school student is having trouble finishing assignments, check his work, too.

After the teacher returns completed homework, read the comments to see if your child has done the assignment satisfactorily.

Monitor Time Spent Viewing TV and Playing Video Games

American children on average spend far more time watching TV or playing video games than they do completing homework. In many homes, more homework gets done when TV viewing and “game” time is limited.

Once you and your adhd student have worked out a homework schedule, take time to discuss how much TV and what programs she can watch. It’s worth noting that television can be a learning tool.

Look for programs that relate to what your child is studying in school, such as programs on history or science or dramatizations of children’s literature. When you can, watch shows with your child, discuss them and encourage follow-up activities such as reading or a trip to the museum.

Likewise, limit the amount of time your child spends playing video games. As with TV programs, be aware of the games she likes to play and discuss her choices with her.

How to Help: Provide Guidance

The basic rule is, “Don’t do the assignments yourself.” It’s not your homework—it’s your child’s. “I’ve had kids hand in homework that’s in their parents’ handwriting,” one eighth-grade teacher complains. Doing assignments for your child won’t help him understand and use information. And it won’t help him become confident in his own abilities.

Here are some ways that you can provide guidance without taking over your child’s homework.

Help Your Child Get Organized

Help your child to make a schedule and put it in a place where you’ll see it often. Writing out assignments will get him used to the idea of keeping track of what’s due and when.

If your child is not yet able to write, write it for him until he can do it himself.

A book bag or backpack will make it easier for your child to carry homework to and from school. Providing homework folders in which your child can tuck his assignments for safekeeping also can help him to stay organized.

Talk with your child about how to take a test. Be sure she understands how important it is to read the instructions carefully, to keep track of the time and to avoid spending too much time on any one question.

Talk about the Assignments

Talking and asking questions can help your child to think through an assignment and break it down into small, manageable parts. Here are some questions to ask.

Do you understand what you’re supposed to do?

After your child has read the instructions, ask her to tell you in her own words what the assignment is about. (If she can’t read yet, the teacher may have sent home instructions that you can read to her.)

Some schools have homework hotlines that you can call or Web sites that you can access by computer for assignments in case your child misplaced a paper or was absent on the day it was given. If your child doesn’t understand the instructions, read them with her and talk about the assignment.

Does it have words that she doesn’t know? How can she find out what the words mean? If neither you nor your child understands an assignment, call one of her classmates or get in touch with the teacher.

Do you need help in understanding how to do this assignment? See if your child needs to learn more, for example, about subtracting fractions before she can do her assignment.

Or find out if the teacher needs to explain to her again when to use different kinds of punctuation marks. If you understand the subject yourself, you may want to work through some examples with your child. However, always let her do the assignment herself.

Do you have everything you need to do the assignment? Sometimes your child needs special supplies, such as colored pencils, metric rulers, calculators, maps or reference books.

Check with the teacher, school guidance counselor or principal for possible sources of assistance if you can’t provide the needed supplies. Check with your local library or school library for books and other information resources.

Does your answer make sense to you? To check that your child understands what he is doing, ask him to explain how he solved a math problem or have him summarize what he has written in a report.

Watch for Frustration

If your child shows signs of frustration, let him take a break. Encourage him and let him see that you know he can do the work.

Give Praise

People of all ages respond to praise. And children need encouragement from the people whose opinions they value most—their families. “Good first draft of your book report!” or “You’ve done a great job” can go a long way toward motivating your child to complete assignments.

Children also need to know when they haven’t done their best work. Make criticism constructive, however. Instead of telling a sixth grader, “You aren’t going to hand in that mess, are you?” say, “The teacher will understand your ideas better if you use your best handwriting.”

Then give praise when the child finishes a neat version.

How to Help: Talk with Teachers to Resolve Problems

Homework problems often can be avoided when families and caregivers value, monitor and guide their children’s (ADHD student)(s) work on assignments.

Sometimes, however, helping in these ways is not enough. If you have problems, here are some suggestions for how to deal with them.

Tell the Teacher about Your Concerns

You may want to contact the teacher if

your child (ADHD student) refuses to do her assignments, even though you’ve tried hard to get her to do them

the instructions are unclear

you can’t seem to help your child get organized to finish the assignments

you can’t provide needed supplies or materials

neither you nor your ADHD student can understand the purpose of the assignments

the assignments are too hard or too easy

the homework is assigned in uneven amounts—for instance, no homework is given on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, but on Thursday four assignments are made that are due the next day

your child has missed school and needs to make up assignments

In some cases, the school guidance counselor or principal also may be helpful in resolving problems with the ADHD student

Additional Aritlces:

The difference in test scores and grades between students who do more homework in school and those who do less increases as students move up through the grades.