Many ADHD specialists recommend behavior therapy for children with ADHD. But parents who heed this advice often find their kids on months-long waiting lists. Now, according to an Dec. 8 post on the News Anchor Mom blog, that wait may get considerably longer for parents in Illinois:

The state [of Illinois] is behind on its payments to speech therapists and developmental therapists by 2-3 months. Many of them are looking for new jobs because they can’t pay their bills… If therapists don’t start getting paid, [Sarah] Ziemba worries kids will really struggle to get the help they need in a timely manner.

Typically, the younger children are when they start therapy, the better they will do in school.

Labels: therapy

New guidelines from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) advise healthcare providers not to use medication as a first-line treatment for children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

A Dec. 1 article by Jennifer Joseph of the Australian website pharmacynews.com.au provided the following information about the policy change:

RACP chairman David Forbes said the new "multimodal" treatment approach would result in fewer children on drugs. "Treatment may include education, psychosocial strategies, behavioral management and changes in nutrition and medication," he said. …

The draft guidelines, which are awaiting formal consideration from the council of the NHMRC, were released despite relying on the research of a US academic whose integrity was under investigation.

"I am pleased that we can finally provide this more up-to-date information on ways to identify and care for those in our community who may be suffering from ADHD," Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

Parents of children with ADHD often worry about side effects associated with the ADHD medications that their physicians have prescribed.

In a Nov. 25 article on the website Life With ADHD, a writer identified as "ADHD Dad" wrote about the importance of investigating non-medical alternatives for treating problems related to behavior, focus and attention:

Medication itself cannot solve ADHD problems or even treat it in an adequate way …

ADHD behaviour therapy is now regarded as an essential support and that means learning parenting skills which will solve a lot of the problems associated with ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional and defiant behaviour and so on.

Behaviour therapy is now recommended as one of the best ways of controlling ADHD without medication or at least reducing it to a bare minimum.

Labels: behavior, therapy

Long hailed as the best treatment for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, medication is coming up against some sharp criticism. The critics are the authors, and some readers, of a recent study that found that the effects of ADHD meds diminish over time.

[The] Multimodal Treatment Study that helped popularize ADHD drugs when it found in 1999 that they were more effective than behavioral therapy in the first 14 months ... now reports the advantage is gone by the three-year mark. By the six- and eight-year marks, across 30 measures of behavior and academics, the children still being given medication by their parents 'fared no better than their non-medicated counterparts...' (Source: USA TODAY)

In light of this new information, and because of the risks that are associated with medication, some parents are opting for behavioral therapy and other forms of treatment for their children. The results of the study don't mean that medication is useless, experts advise, but simply that it should be part of a multi-faceted approach.

Labels: Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, medications, studies, therapy

In his review of ADHD treatments in Australia, Professor Philip Mitchell found that, while one in five Australian children are being prescribed stimulant medication, few are participating in behavioral therapies.

"Most prescribers of stimulants wanted to use other treatment like behavior therapy, speech therapy, et cetera. But what the survey and the audit both identified was difficulty in accessing such services. Psychologist Andrew Campbell and PhD student Krestina Amon urge more non-drug treatments are needed. They're researching the benefits of a computer game which teaches the children the tools to relax."

The computer game being used requires players to regulate their breathing, and bio-feedback sensors help them use their minds to control what's happening on the screen. Initial results have been very promising as students have been able to use the focusing techniques learned through the computer game to improve study habits and attention skills in the classroom. Source: ABC - Australia

New Leaf Academy, with campuses in Oregon and North Carolina, are specialized boarding schools for girls with Aspergers and ADHD. Visit www.newleafacademy.com to learn more.

Labels: non-drug_treatment, therapy, treatment

In 2004, 60 percent of the kindergartners at Gordon Parks Elementary in Kansas City, Missouri, failed a visual-skills test. The results prompted teachers to try something new. They began regular lessons in visual skills using therapist Cheryl Steffenella.

"Parks retrains many students' listening abilities as well, through lessons pioneered by French physician Alfred Thomatis. The sessions use students' voices and modified recordings of Mozart, played through headphones, to retrain the brain."

The American Academy of Pediatrics hasn't approved the new techniques, saying that the results are not consistent. But the students at Park Elementary say they've learned better how to focus, and how to listen. Source: USA Today.

Talisman offers summer camps for kids with ADHD, Aspergers, and Autism. Visit TalismanCamps.com for more information.

Labels: listening, therapy, visual_skills

The phrase "ADHD treatment options" typically calls to mind various medications, like Ritalin, Adderall, and others. But there are options for those who don't want to take, or don't want their kids to take, prescription pills.

"Although it is now a routine part of most ADD treatments nowadays, at the time, biofeedback was a pioneering technique. Basically, I would be set up at a laptop computer with a compact disc of my choosing inside. When my brain was acting in a certain way characteristic of concentration, the music would turn on. When my brain stopped acting that way, the music would turn off."

Treatments like biofeedback and other forms of behavioral therapy may not eliminate the need for medication, but they can help make lower doses more effective. Read more at KeepSoundHealth.com.

Boarding schools for children with ADHD can address ADHD kids behaviors in and out of the classroom. Learn more ways they can help at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

He's best known for his radio show Loveline, and his VH-1 television program Celebrity Rehab. But in this interview with LAist, Dr. Drew Pinsky spends a considerable amount of time talking about the realities of ADHD.

"Are alternative treatments for ADD or ADHD, such as changing diet, effective? 'That clearly has been shown to have no effect. Listen, those studies are not neuropsychiatrically tested. Not good stuff. It's very clear if you have a kid with that problem there are two interventions. One is behavioral interventions, which are really quite good, and pharmacological interventions. But once again, these are complicated cases that need to be followed up by skillful people.'"

Dr. Pinsky also stresses the importance of having a child properly diagnosed by a "neuropsychiatric forum" rather than a primary care physician. Read more at LAist.com.

Labels: diagnosis, therapy, treatment

A recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has some pediatricians and professors calling for restraint and caution in the prescription of medication for the treatment of ADHD. The NIMH study has found that children who used psychosocial or behavioral treatment instead of medication had essentially "caught up" with those children who used medication.

"'While results of one study rarely justify drastic changes of practice, the findings underscore the complexity of ADHD, show that stimulant drugs are far from being a silver bullet and that there is much we do not yet know,' Prof [Joseph] Rey wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia."

He acknowledges that stimulant medication still plays a role in the treatment of ADHD, but warns that it should not be considered the only, or even the best, form of treatment. Read more at En.EpochTimes.com.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.

Labels: phobias, social_skills, therapy

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.

Labels: phobias, social_skills, therapy

When it comes to kids and ADHD, reports and studies abound that document increased risks for substance abuse and decreased academic potential. It's enough to make a parent feel like their kid has no chance at a "normal" life. But a study conducted over the summer shows that most ADHD children who are treated - either with medication, behavior therapy or both - improve over time.

"The roles of specific therapies and educational strategies remain unclear... For now, parents should know that treating ADHD, early and with vigor, can make a difference, says Anne Teeter Ellison, a psychologist and president of an advocacy group called Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder..."

Studies have also found that improvement comes as young brains develop and mature. So while there may be a lot of "doom and gloom" reports out there, there are also valid reasons to believe that a child with ADHD can look forward to a bright, productive future.

Residential treatment centers, like the Aspen Institute, can offer parents struggling with difficult children a clear diagnosis and treatment plan.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

Some specialists in pediatric and/or holistic medicine are concerned about the excessive publicity often given to drugs that treat things like ADHD, while other forms of treatment - like behavioral therapy - go almost unnoticed. Pharmaceutical companies sponsor awards, dinners and major lectures. Medical journals are filled with their ads.

"The net result is that even though in its policy statement the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry emphasizes its admonition that 'psychiatric medication should not be used alone,' more often than not, it is. For example, a study of 223 children ages 3 and younger diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder found more than half were prescribed psychotropic medication, yet fewer than a third were receiving psychological services."

William Pelham, Jr., distinguished professor of psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of New York at Buffalo conducted a study which found that when medication was used in conjunction with behavioral therapy, drug doses could be reduced by as much as 67 percent while still achieving the same results. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

Military boarding schools rarely offer any programs for kids with special needs or who really need therapy, not being screamed at. Find an alternative at 4-Military-School-Alternatives.com.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

Noven Pharmaceuticals, in partnership with Shire plc, is developing a new transdermal patch for the treatment of ADHD. The two companies previously worked together to develop Daytrana™, which was the first ADHD treatment patch ever approved.

"As previously announced, Noven successfully completed a Phase 1 study of an amphetamine transdermal system (ATS) under development for the treatment of ADHD. Shire has requested modifications to the original patch formulation in order to align ATS with its future direction in ADHD."

Daytrana™ was first released in June 2006. It was the first, and is currently the only, transdermal product approved for ADHD therapy.

The new school year is just around the corner - now's the time to look into finding an ADHD school or Asperger's Schools or a school for children with a non-verbal learning disorder. Cedars Academy is a private school specializing in children with ADD, ADHD, NLD, or Asperger's.

Labels: medications, therapy, treatment

Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia are conducting a major new study on adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. This disorder affects about one in 280 Australians, a rate higher than the world average.

Lake-Hui Quek and others are trying to determine why young people with Asperger Syndrome experience high levels of mood disturbances and anxiety. They hope to develop new interventions specifically designed for Asperger Syndrome.
Currently, they are conducting trials of specialized cognitive-behavior therapy among adolescents with the syndrome.

Check out Your Little Professor - a friendly and helpful site - for parents of children with Asperger's or Autism.

Labels: aspergers, mood_disorders, therapy

Horses as therapists for your differently-abled child? That's true. Equine facilitated learning (EFL) is now being looked upon as a fun-filled therapeutic option for physically, mentally and emotionally challenged people, especially children. Read more online.

Labels: animal-assisted-therapy, equine-therapy, therapy