Treating ADHD/ADD in Children and Adolescents

Book excerpt: Treating ADHD/ADD in Children and Adolescents: Solutions for Parents and Clinicians was written for parents, clinicians, and teachers to learn a deeper understanding of ADHD and implement specific, clear, and effective ways to successfully evaluate and treat ADHD problems at home and school. Readers will learn not only research-based and traditional approaches for treating ADHD, but also proven newer and alternative methods. This book provides the tools for readers to feel more informed and competent in addressing the many challenges that children and adolescents with ADHD experience. Whether new or previously exposed to ADHD, readers should find the information to be very useful and effective in transforming ADHD. This book is comprehensive in addressing the complete range of challenges that ADHD presents to children, teens, and families, including accurately diagnosing ADHD and identifying the frequent co-existing conditions, better understandings of the condition, powerful parental behavioral management skills for home and school difficulties, ways to improve family and peer challenges, enhancing homework and learning problems, obtaining appropriate school services and addressing classroom issues, better partnerships with physicians for effective ADHD medication treatments, and utilizing a number of additional and alternative approaches to decrease and treat ADHD. The book has three main aims. The first is to provide a deeper understanding of ADHD. Without accurate perspectives, families may not address the difficulties and challenges appropriately, and treatment approaches may not be as successful or can fail. The second goal is to learn the fundamentals about managing and treating the many ADHD challenges at home and school. The third is for readers to learn a number of additional and alternative approaches to help treat ADHD symptoms and challenges. Some of these proven approaches are newer, while others have a history of effectiveness.