Reply to Do you think ADHD is real and/or over prescribed?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Special Needs Parents? [/quote]

First of all, you realize that you posted at 10:27 pm, right?  This isn't General Parenting.  That's pretty late to expect a response.

Second, the link you provide requires a login/password.  If you would like comment on the article, it needs to be accessible.

Third, the conclusion of the article (provided by you) indicates behavior training has greater effectiveness than medication in the [b]preschool population [i]at risk[/i] for ADHD[/b].

I'm not surprised by the results.  In our household, after or oldest was diagnosed was ADHD we had a lot of training that improved our discipline/structure/routine.  We saw a lot of improvements not just in our DS with ADHD but our two other kids as well as my DH with ADHD (diagnosed after DS).  That was fine until the demands of school (starting in K) became too great for my DS to keep up.  He had absolutely no behavioral issues, his were related to learning - which behavior modification doesn't affect.  It's why we turned to medication with very positive results.

Finally, there have been several studies that indicate behavior modification isn't sufficient to control the symptoms of ADHD.  In fact they show the medication alone does better and there's marginal gain with the addition of behavior modification.  Here's one http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8326053/ .  I'll look for the other one later, I believe it was the MTA longitudinal study on ADHD.  The researchers continue to recommend behavior modification but support use of medication as the best method to control symptoms.

Actually, maybe I won't look for the study results.  I think I'm going to leave this thread.  I don't need to convince anyone else that ADHD is real or that our treatment approach is the best according to current medical research.  I know they are.  Believe what you want to believe.  Those of us who are living this and have researched it don't need your opinions.[/quote]

Huh? Not sure who this is aimed at. I am 17:52 and that was my first and only post on this thread. Anyway, I was just pointing out one study that showed that parental intervention can and does help. On the topic of medication, I do believe there is a need for it in many cases BUT I also think that doctors don't adequately explain the risks and over play the benefits (this was well explained in the NYT article this past weekend (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html?ref=health&_r=1&). For example, you mentioned the MTA longitudinal study. IMO this study should be required reading for anyone deciding whether or not to try medication for their child. The study, after 8 years of following children with ADHD using either medication, therapy, or a combination, found little to no benefit long term. We can always find a study to support whatever position we want to take but this is the only longitudinal study of its kind and its results should be known by everyone.

From the publication of MTA study:
[i]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3063150/
"Thus, although the MTA data provided strong support for the acute reduction of symptoms with intensive medication management, [b]these long-term follow-up data fail to provide support for long-term advantage of medication treatment beyond two years for the majority of children[/b]—at least as medication is monitored in community settings."[/i]

I am NOT saying that those that choose medication are bad parents or have made the wrong decision. I do think that we are often not given a full picture of the risks and benefits. I think the following, also from the MTA study discussion, is very good advice:
[i]"Decisions about starting, continuing, and stopping medication may have to be made on an individualized basis, avoiding untested assumptions about continuing benefit, and using periodic trial discontinuations to check for need and benefit."[/i][/quote]

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