Consistent, Managed Treatment Works Best For Children With AD/HD

According to the
recently released follow up study to the Multimodal Treatment Study on
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA) in the August issue of the
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(JAACAP), children and young people with AD/HD who received carefully
managed medication alone or in combination with behavioral management and
educational adaptations fared better than children who did not. However,
study participants who no longer received intensive interventions and
returned to standard community based care had lost the initial advantages
after three years.


These findings show highly intensive treatment works best when begun
early and consistently maintained. If high quality treatment is not
continued, the initial benefits may be lost several years later. Lead
researcher Peter Jensen, M.D., has emphasized the need for parents and
healthcare providers to work closely together for the benefit of the child
affected by AD/HD. Unfortunately, recent reports in the media have
misrepresented the MTA's findings and drawn unsubstantiated conclusions.



CHADD, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder, encourages each family to work with their healthcare providers
for the most effective treatment for their families and children affected
by AD/HD.


CHADD

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