ADHD Management

1. See Also
   1. ADHD Medications
2. General
   1. General measures are cornerstone of ADHD therapy
   2. Medications are only a part of treatment plan
3. Management: Establish Treatment Goals (Examples)
   1. Finish school written work in reasonable time period
   2. Recall recently read material
   3. Complete one project at a time
   4. Avoid procrastination and get organized
   5. Start needed but boring tasks without wasting time
4. Management: Educational Interventions
   1. Special education
   2. Learning adjuncts
      1. Books on tape
      2. Computers
      3. Dictaphone
      4. Spell check
      5. Oral and non-timed examinations
   3. Educate the family and the school about ADHD
   4. Classroom modification
      1. Short, brief assignments with time for feedback
      2. Preferential seating
      3. Reduction of written tasks
      4. Support in organization and study skills
      5. Non-timed written tests and assignments
      6. Colored cued materials and techniques
5. Management: Counseling for parents and adolescent patients
   1. Develop a sense of self esteem
   2. Behavior management (Cognitive training)
      1. Learning to "Stop and Think"
      2. Self monitoring skills
6. Management: Family understanding (Coping)
   1. Learn difference between inability and non-compliance
   2. Offer routine environment in which to succeed
      1. Brevity
      2. Variety
      3. Structure
   3. List making skills
   4. Prepare for changes in routine
   5. Redirection and ignoring
   6. Reward good behaviors and accomplishments (e.g. tokens or points as positive reward)
   7. Become an informed advocate for your child
7. Management: Treatments that do not work (Disproved)
   1. Dietary intervention (no conclusive evidence)
   2. Mega-Vitamins and mineral supplements do not work
   3. Anti-Motion Sickness medications do not work
   4. Chronic yeast infection treatments do not work
   5. EEG biofeedback does not work
   6. Applied kinesiology does not work
   7. Optometric vision training does not work
8. References
   1. Barbaresi (1996) Mayo Clin Proc 71:463-71
   2. Baumgaertel (1999) Pediatr Clin North Am 46:977-92