Successful Treatment Planning for Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD ADHD

O.K. So now you have taken the step of having yourlarger factor. We don't want the school year to be
struggling child or teen assessed by a professional, andwasted or lost, so we need to try the most powerful
he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficitinterventions at that time.
Hyperactivity Disorder. The psychologist, or therapist,
or physician now wants to begin a treatment program.But here is our thinking. First we want to do what we
But what should you know before you "sign off" oncan to "salvage" the school year if we only have a
any particular treatment approach?few weeks left. Since medications can begin to give
benefits very quickly often the child will pass classes
Here are some suggestions for you to consider. Thethat he might have failed otherwise. Additionally, by
following are merely our suggestions, but are based onhaving a "real world" trial of medication prior to the
having worked with over 1,000 children and teens withsummer break, we can use the benefits received from
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Use your bestthe medication as a "bench mark" with which to
judgment. Talk with your doctor. We don't want to bemeasure the effectiveness of the "alternative"
accused of practicing medicine across the Internet.treatments that might be tried over the summer
The suggestions that follow will vary depending onmonths.
your child or teen's diagnosis (such as Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder: Inattentive Type vs. AttentionAlso, please remember when discussing these
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Impulsive-Hyperactivesuggestions with your physician or your psychologist,
Type, and with or without temper problems, with orthat old saying, "If the only tool that you own is a
without some depression or anxiety, and so on) andhammer, then all the world looks like a nail."
also on the time of the year in which you are beginningProfessionals who are unfamiliar with treatment
treatment. To learn more about the different types ofoptions such as the "Attend" amino acids, or the EEG
ADHD and specific treatment strategies for each type.Biofeedback training, will tend to discount them
immediately out of their ignorance. I did this myself for
During the summer vacation and early in the schoolyears, and this is where you must decide for yourself
year we like to try the "alternative" interventions, suchhow best to help your child or teen with Attention
as the homeopathic nutraceutical medicines Attend, itsDeficit Disorder.
"cousin" nutraceutical Extress, our recommended
eating program, and essential fatty acid suppliments.You can learn more about the six types of ADHD,
EEG Biofeedback training is also a good "alternative"specific treatment strategies for each type, alternative
treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder. If thesetreatments for ADHD, and much more at the ADHD
strategies work, and they will about 70% of the time,Information Library.Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family
then we can keep the patient off of medication andtherapist who has been working with ADHD children
see them succeed.and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of
the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web
If the diagnosis is made later in the school year wesites, including helping over 350,000 parents and
tend to recommend trials of medication right away forteachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr.
just about everyone with Attention Deficit Disorder,Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of
knowing that we have the summer coming up to tryVAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the
alternatives that might be able to cut the dose ofBoard of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central
medication in half, or eliminate the need for medicationCalifornia, and is President of NewIdeas.net
altogether. But later in the school year time becomes aIncorporated.