| Benefits of New Guidelines to parents
I am blown away with the new ADHD Guidelines.
Behavioral Therapy should be the first line for ADHD management.
Behavioral therapy represents a broad set of specific interventions that have a common goal of modifying the physical and social environment to alter or change behavior. Behavior therapy usually is implemented by training parents in specific techniques that improve their abilities to modify and shape their child’s behavior and to improve the child’s ability to regulate his or her own behavior.
Behavioral therapy may help the child get enough control of his behavior and attention that medication is not needed. That is the "why" behind putting behavioral therapy first. Medication should be added if behavioral therapy alone does not produce sufficient improvement.
Whether the old guidelines put meds first I cannot say. I positively can say that doctors put meds first and rarely added behavioral therapy at all. The report told why. Not enough money for the time it takes them to follow up on behavioral therapy. Writing a prescription makes them far more bucks per minute than bucks per day following behavioral therapy. Don't expect your insurance to pick up tab either.
You moms were right all along.
You may NOT like another finding published. There is very little evidence that stimulant medication increases the risk of heart problems. I will mentioned the caveat: The researchers do not have sufficient data about the very long term effects. However, if your child's heart is healthy, the risk of sudden cardiac arrest is virtually non-existent especially when weighed against benefits of medication if needed.
Bob
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