Last Updated on Thursday, 03 September 2009 17:41

Treatment of ADHD

The main focus of ADHD treatment is on symptom management. This may be done either with medication, behavioural therapy, or a combination of the two.

There are various techniques to help your child develop concentration and social skills which can be designed by teachers, psychologists and school counsellors. You may find it helpful to seek counselling for your child, or counselling for yourself to assist you in managing your child at home.

Medication is often used with children who have ADHD and, in most cases, is highly successful. Extensive studies have shown these medications to be safe and effective. Medication is not a cure for ADHD, but it can help your child function better at school and home. The medication can bring out your child's natural abilities and help them make use of other learning strategies.

Medications

Following are the most common types of medication used to treat ADHD:

• Non-stimulant: Atomoxetine HCl is a non-stimulant treatment option for ADHD. Strattera was the first non-stimulant medication approved by the FDA to treat ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. It works by blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine, in which a chemical neurotransmitter is believed to play an important role in regulating attention, impulsivity, and activity levels.

• Stimulants: The use of stimulants is very common in ADHD. Stimulants regulate the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. They may be short acting (4-5 hour), intermediate acting (6-8 hour) and long acting (10-12 hour).

Behaviour Modification

Behaviour modification involves strategies to produce consistency, positive reinforcement and problem solving ability in your child. There are three areas of behaviour modification, also known as the "ABCs" of behaviour modification. These are:

• 1. Antecedents: These are factors that start ADHD behaviour or behaviours. As a parent/teacher, you need to change the antecedents by changing the way you verbally instruct the child.

• 2. Behaviours: You can stop an undesirable behaviour by changing the way you react to the child’s obedience or disobedience.

• 3. Consequences: You need to be patient with the things that occur as a result of undesirable behaviour of your child. You can explain to your child: 'If you do it, this will happen; if you choose not to do it, this will happen'. This helps your child make a choice.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

This is a type of talking behaviour therapy. It involves talking to a qualified therapist who identifies problem behaviours and helps you develop more positive ways of dealing with tricky issues, feelings or situations faced by your child. These sessions may last for one hour per week and on an average, people need between six and twenty sessions. The main focus is on getting a child to learn to talk through his/her experiences and feelings. After each session, the child may be given a task to complete. Children are encouraged to write their thoughts, feelings and behaviour in a diary. Their entries can then be discussed in detail with the therapist.

Cognitive behaviour therapy can help:

• Retrain the way your child thinks acts and behaves.

• Nurtures new skills in your child.

• Helps your child to cope with his/her ADHD symptoms.

• Helps self-control the way your child behaves at home, school or with friends.

• Helps children / adults with low self-esteem.

• Helps overcome relationship difficulties.

CBT does not guarantee a cure. It needs time, commitment and a lot of hard work to learn the new patterns of thinking and acting.