Adhd Medication and Children

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A different approach to helping a child with ADHD is to provide therapy. Occupational therapy with an involved parent can help the child understand why their behaviors are wrong or misplaced. Therapists will watch the child interact and offer feedback to the parent in efforts to help when the child acts out. It also provides guidance to the child from someone other than the parent. When doing a therapy session, many will offer the session with other children in the same age group to add in the additional socialization aspect. Being able to visualize how younger children act around each other will provide insight to both the parent and therapist. The therapist then offers feedback, goals, and tasks for the parent to work on until their next session. This is not the popular approach as it does not show immediate feedback, but progresses more over time.

If the parent chooses to go with the therapeutic route as opposed to the medicinal route, there are numerous other options for older children. Most respond positively to checklists and designated tasks for certain times of the day. An older child, from the approximate ages of eight to fourteen, will respond positively to a checklist for each part of their day. It provides structure that they, by themselves, cannot provide. However, they quickly rely on the checklists, so the therapist will educate the parent and child in ways that can help them rely more on themselves, than a piece of paper. Again, this is not something that will show progression overnight, but over time.

The therapeutic route is not the most common choice for parents. It is not immediate and takes time to see progression and that it is, in fact, helping their child grow, understand and live with the disorder that they were born with (Holtmann, 2014). When the parent first learns that their child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they could become overwhelmed and not only need a doctor but a psychologist or therapist to help them work through the details and alternative options to medications.

In conclusion, there are far better ways to help a child who is suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than from stimulants. After evaluating the child, we would be able to properly diagnose to see if they actually have the disorder, remembering that just because they show symptoms that resemble ADHD, does not mean that they have it. Not all children progress at the same rate and may succeed in some areas quicker or slower, but does not mean that they have a disorder. There are ways that we can help children that is not a medicinal approach. Occupational therapy, socialization with similarly aged children, and quiet learning time are all ways to approach, rather than to attack their behaviors. As parents, pediatricians, and therapists it is our job to identify the source of the problem, as opposed to instantly medicate to calm the child.

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References

-M.Holtmann, B. Pniewski, D. Wachtlin, S. Worz & E. Strehl; (2014) Neurofeedback in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – a controlled multicenter study of a non-pharmacological treatment approach. Retrieved from: http://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2431-14-202

-Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. (2016) ADD and ADHD in Children. Received from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/attention-deficit-disorder-adhd-in-children.htm

-H. Koshoff, M. Vrigens, M. Thompson, L. Yardley & P. Hodgkins (2013) “What influences clinicians’ decisions about ADHD medication? Initial data from the Influences on Prescribing for ADHD Questionnaire” Vol. 22 No. 9 Retrieved from:

-J. Graham, (2010) Guidelines on managing adverse effects of medication for ADHD Retrieved from:

-Edmund S. Higgins (2014) “Do ADHD drugs take a toll on the brain?” Retrieved from: true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010640244

-Zosia Kmietowicz (2012) “Children Say ADHD Drugs Don’t Turn Them into Robots” Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/stable/41723998?pq-origsite=summon&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents