HOW IS ADHD DIAGNOSED?
Physical Examination & History:
One of the first steps should be a complete physical examination by the child's physician to exclude medical causes for the symptoms. Also, the physician will review the child's developmental history as well as medical, school, and social history for clues that will be helpful in making a diagnosis.
Psychological Testing:
Questionnaires are used to determine the extent and type of symptoms found in the home and school environment. Testing by a school psychologist or a clinical psychologist can determine if learning disabilities are present that may be causing the symptoms. Behavior analysis tests such as the Total Focus Behavior Checklist may help to discover if a psychological problem may be causing the symptoms. Also, a neuropsychological test such as the Conners CPT to assess brain functioning may be helpful in making the correct diagnosis. No one test or procedure is sufficient for a professional to make a diagnosis.
Team Consultation:
Sometimes the child's physcian may consult with the parent, school, psychologist, or psychiatrist or other medical specialists such as a neurologist or an allergist in coming to a conclusion on a diagnosis.
HOW IS ADHD TREATED?
Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, a number of treatment approaches may be used to reduce symptoms an improve behavior.
Medication:
This is probably the most often recommended form of treatment, particularly in cases with moderate to severe symptoms. The medications that are most likely to be used as called psycho-stimulants. They improve brain functioning in the areas that regulate attention and impulse control.
**For cases with mild to moderate symptoms, psychoeducational treatment methods may acheive good results in reducing symptoms and improving behavior. Even when it is decided to use medication early in treatment, my experience has been that the psychoeducational methods in the Total Focus Program, combined with medication, may provide the best results.**
Behavior Modification:
Use of specialized reward systems has proven to provide the motivation and feedback necessary for some children to develop the cognitive strategies needed to improve attention, concentration, task completion, and impulse control. Use of these strategies over time seems to alter brain function and, in some cases, provides long lasting improvement. A slightly different approach at home can also reduce arguing and anger outbursts, along with increasing children's ability to follow directions. We'll be using a behavior modification system in Lesson Two (OnTask and In Control at School) and Lesson Four (On Task and In Control at Home).
Relaxation Training and Biofeedback:
Learning how to relax can lead to improved self-control as well as improved attention and concentration. Being able to calm down the nervous system at will prevents angry outbursts. Learning to increase general relaxation throughout the day increases alpha waves in the brain, which play a part in learning activities. We'll teach you a number of wonderful biofeedback and relaxation techniques in Lesson Three and throughout the Total Focus Program.
Cognitive Rehabilitation or "Brain Training":
Mental exercises are used by patients with brain injuries such as stroke, or accident victims to retrain their brains so they can get back to their normal activities. Some research shows that children and adults with ADHD can use similar exercises to train their brains to work better at certain tasks, such as attention and simple information processing. In Lesson Five and Six, we'll be using brain training exercises to help your child improve their ability to slow down and think before they do things and to improve attention and concentration.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
Recent approaches to psychological counceling emphasize teaching children and adults ho to change the way they think about themselves, other people, and their world in general. As they change how they think, they find that it automatically changes how they feel and how they behave. For ADHD children, this technique can lead to improved problem solving, social skills and self-esteem. The Total Focus Program uses cognitive behavioral therapy throughout to help your child change the way he thinks about himself, about people, and the world around him, to achieve better behavior and academic performance.
Parent Education:
It is important for parents to understand why their child is having problems at home and/or at shcool and to learn how to help him to improve his behavior and learning skills. My experience has been that many parents don't have enough information about ADHD to make truly informed decisions about their child's education and treatment. In the Total Focus Program, we'll arm you with the information you need.
Other Methods:
Use of special diets has not proven to be effective in treating ADHD. Certainly, eating healthy food is good for all children including those with ADHD. In some children, eating foods with refined sugars and artifical ingredients may make their symptoms worse, but they are not the actual cause of ADHD. Recently, there have been several new "natural" substances reported to "cure" ADHD. So far, their use has been supported by testimonials from people who claim positive results after using these products. Scientific research has yet to prove whether these substances work any better than sugar pills (which can have up to 50% success with some medical conditions) or are safer than drugs or other treatment methods which have been proven to be successful in clinical trials.
