Drugs Aren’t the Sole Answer for
Children with ADHDParents, doctors and teachers must work together to fight ADHD
Most people would point to Fred Grossman,
Ph.D., as an authority on childhood behavior
because of his 30 years as a school psychologist in
Portland, Ore. But he draws some of his expertise
from home. His daughter once displayed all the
impulsive and inattentive conduct typical of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Today, she’s a respected chiropractor.
It’s clear that Grossman knows the
recipe for success with ADHD. And he’ll
be the first to say that drugs aren’t always
the key ingredient. For him and a rising
number of Americans, the formula for
treating ADHD demands the involvement
of parents and teachers.
There’s No Magic Pill
“In this culture, people just want a
quick-fix pill to cure it,” says Grossman,
a spokesman for the American Psychological
Association. “But there’s no
magic cure.”
That’s not to say prescription medications
don’t have a place in treating
ADHD. In fact, a landmark study released
in 1999 showed the benefit of drugs.
Medication alone or in combination
with behavior-focused methods may
work better at easing the condition’s
telltale symptoms, compared to behavioral
therapies alone.
“The problem with medication is
that it’s not monitored as it should be,”
Grossman says. He agrees, though, that
drugs help calm symptoms that hamper
behavioral therapies. “It’s a balancing
act to get the right dosage.”
How Parents Can Help
The fact is that parents are a vital
part of the solution to ADHD, he says.
He has this advice if your child has the
condition:
- Ask your child’s doctor about training
sessions that teach you how to
encourage good behavior by praising it.
- Seek chances to praise your child for
doing something good.
- Work with your child’s teachers. Your
child may focus better if he or she sits
near the teacher. Shorter assignments
may help, for instance.
- Ask your child’s teachers and doctor
whether the child should be evaluated
for learning and language problems.
Such problems often go hand in hand
with ADHD. You may need to work with
the school to draw up an individualized
education plan.
- Get your child counseling. This can
help keep children from taking advantage
of the diagnosis and can make
them accountable for their behavior.
The ADHD label can lessen kids’ selfesteem
or make them see themselves as
damaged in some way. Counseling helps
convince children that “they’re better than
they think,” Grossman says. This
approach helped him to treat his daughter.
“I kept telling her that she was okay
and that she would find a way,” he says.
“You might not have a straight path,
but you will find a way.”
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