Points About the Outcome of Any Therapy:

In monitoring treatments for ADHD, measurable improvements include attention span, concentration, memory, mood, task completion, motor coordination. Behaviors that may decrease include daydreaming, hyperactivity, immature behavior, anger, defiance, oppositional behavior, and impulsivity.

In order to assess the effectiveness of any therapy for ADHD it is important to ask whether an improvement has been noted in the following signs:

• Inattentiveness and academic underachievement
• Fidgeting and hyperactivity
• Behavioral or verbal impulsivity (interrupting others, blurting out, acting before thinking)
• Difficulty falling asleep at night
• Trouble waking up (not getting out of bed) in the morning
• Excessive irritability with-out cause and/or easy frustration
• Bedwetting or primary nocturnal enuresis
• Dyslexia with spatial or verbal reversals
• Episodic explosiveness, emotional outbursts, or temper tantrums
• Unexplained and persistent emotional negativity

If your medication does not help with any or all of these symptoms then either an increased dosage is required or a change, elimination or addition of a medication may be necessary.

• The following information is excerpted from a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) leaflet regarding "Treatment For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)":

For decades, medications have been used to treat the symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). For many people, these medicines dramatically reduce their hyperactivity and improve their ability to focus, work, and learn. The medications may also improve physical coordination, such as handwriting and ability in sports. Recent research by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) suggests that these medicines may also help children with an accompanying conduct disorder to control their impulsive, destructive behaviors.

Unfortunately, when people see such immediate improvement, they often think medication is all that's needed. But these medicines don't cure the disorder, they only temporarily control the symptoms. Although the drugs help people pay better attention and complete their work, they can't increase knowledge or improve academic skills. The drugs alone can't help people feel better about themselves or cope with problems. These require other kinds of treatment and support.

For lasting improvement, numerous clinicians recommend that medications should be used along with treatments that aid in these other areas. There are no quick cures. Many experts believe that the most significant, long-lasting gains appear when medication is combined with behavioral therapy, emotional counseling, and practical support. Some studies suggest that the combination of medicine and therapy may be more effective than drugs alone. NIMH is conducting a large study to check this.

Use Of Stimulant Drugs

Stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin, Cylert, and Dexedrine, when used with medical supervision, are usually considered quite safe. Although they can be addictive to teenagers and adults if misused, these medications are not addictive in children.

Sometimes, a child's ADHD symptoms seem to worsen, leading parents to wonder why. They can be assured that a drug that helps rarely stops working. However, they should work with the doctor to check that the child is getting the right dosage. They also need to know that new or exaggerated behaviors may also crop up when a child is under stress. The challenges that all children face, like changing schools or entering puberty, may be even more stressful for a child with ADHD.

Some doctors recommend that children be taken off a medication now and then to see if the child still needs it. They recommend temporarily stopping the drug during school breaks and summer vacations, when focused attention and calm behavior are usually not as crucial. These "drug holidays" work well if the child can still participate at camp or other activities without medication.

Children on medications should have regular checkups. Parents should also talk regularly with the child's teachers and doctor about how the child is doing. This is especially important when a medication is first started, re-started, or when the dosage is changed.