This will help determine if the child s behavior is truly outside the normal range and if ADHD is the best diagnosis. For example, a qualified mental health professional could distinguish between ADHD and other disorders such as anxiety or depression, which may have similar symptoms and behaviors, but call for different treatment approaches. Psychological assessment is an important contribution to any collaborative effort to diagnose and treat childhood behavioral disorders. It is no surprise that treatment programs, which can take many forms, work best when specifically tailored to the needs of the individual child and when they include a comprehensive approach to services. If it is determined that a child needs medication in addition to the behaviorally-based treatment, it is often most effective when employed in conjunction with other interventions.
Recent research supports the use of comprehensive treatment strategies.
However, the addition of behavioral treatments resulted in improved functioning in areas such as social skills and academic achievement. In other areas of functioning, such as anxiety symptoms, academic performance, and social skills, the combination of stimulant use with intensive behavioral therapies was consistently more effective. In addition, families and teachers reported higher levels of satisfaction for treatments that included behavioral therapy components. Furthermore, we know little about safety and effectiveness of stimulants for use in children under the age of six, and little about the potential impact of taking psychotropic medication on a child s developing brain. We also know little about the degree to which gains made while taking medication are sustained after medication usage stops.