Other drugs may control the disruptive behavior better, but the goal of treatment is to improve the child's learning ability, and studies show that methylphenidate is the best choice for this effect. In addition to prescribing medication, physicians must counsel the parents to assure them that the child's behavior is not the result of bad parenting and that they need to become the child's advocate, showing the child that they love him. Parents need to create an environment that provides a stable schedule, places reasonable demands on the child and is supportive. The teacher must have an appreciation of ADHD and work with the child to emphasize the child's strengths. It is also important to help these children improve interpersonal relationships.
Cognitive therapy seems to work best.
During cognitive therapy, the child is helped to foresee situations and plan how to approach them and then discuss the results afterwards. Open lines of communication between the parents, the teachers, the physician and the child are absolutely essential for effectively monitoring the child's progress. Children with ADHD who receive this type of treatment have the potential of achieving academic and social success equal to or better than that of their peers. 7 Newer issues in regard to ADHD include a better appreciation of its inheritance patterns as well as a better understanding of the neurophysiologic defects that are present. In addition, the recognition that a significant number of these children will continue to have this disorder into adult life gives us the whole new challenge of identifying this population, because they too will benefit from treatment.