Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Jan 31, 2013

When a child is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD... prescription medication is one treatment option that doctors may recommend for managing the symptoms.

Some parents seek out alternatives...like fish oil supplements...or behavioral therapy. So European researchers wanted to know which, if any of them, worked.

They analyzed data from 54 studies involving 6 non-drug interventions. In some of the studies participants had no idea what treatment, if any, was allocated In other studies, people had complete knowledge of the intervention.

The team found that when treatment was done under unblinded conditions...there were positive effects for all types of treatments.

However, when the assessments were done blinded, only 2 treatments showed small, but significant effects. Fatty acid supplements, such as Omega 3s and Omega 6s were still found to have a positive impact-. Restricting food dyes did, as well.

Researchers say more evidence is needed to make the case for behavioral interventions, neurofeedback,

cognitive training, and restricted

elimination diets.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 4 percent and 12 percent of school-aged children have ADHD.

COMENT

This piece of news published in the Eyewitness News newspaper on Jan 31, 2013, and it’s about ADHD; Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by either significant difficulties of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsiveness or a combination of the two.

If it is already difficult to bring up a child imagine if your son/daughter has inattention, hyperactivity, disruptive behavior and impulsivity (common in ADHD.) Academic difficulties are also frequen too. Everything is further complicated by this symptoms are especially difficult to define because it is hard to draw a line at where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end and clinically significant levels requiring intervention begin.

 In the medicine of the mind and the body has used a variety of techniques designed to strengthen the capacity of the mind to affect bodily function and symptoms. This text indicates that some techniques that were considered CAM past have become mainstream (for example, patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). 

Behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on reducing behavior problems and in promoting adaptive skills. Behavioral therapy uses psychological techniques to improve physical, mental and communicative. 

The activities used vary widely according to the age and disability. It will use some techniques to discourage destructive behavior and others to encourage self-sufficiency. Behavioral therapy can complement physiotherapy as encouraging children to master tasks that promote muscle development and motor.  

The praise, positive reinforcement and small prizes can encourage the child / to learn to use weak limbs, overcome speech deficits and stop negative behaviors like hair pulling and biting. Sometimes this is called behavioral management therapy or behavior modification.

 So, although all this is not very investigated yet, we can see that there are different ways to try to solve this kind of problems in children that may can help us.