Education Station

Help…I am ready to medically treat my child’s ADHD. What do I tell the doctor?

Assuming you have had a Comprehensive Psychological and Educational Evaluation* to rule out other contributing interferences, the most important first step is to work with an experienced physician whom you trust and who is knowledgeable about ADHD. Your doctor will recognize how hard this decision has been for you and will understand that considering a medication approach is an emotional hurdle that is not easy for a parent to jump.

Your doctor will know how to reassure you, provide you with good information, and talk to you about how the process of selecting a treatment approach that addresses your child’s ADHD symptoms.

Your doctor will want to know about ADHD symptoms and will ask what behaviors interfere with your child’s daily functioning such as:

1. How your child’s ADHD manifests in the classroom?
2. Is your child impulsive, hyperactive or just squirmy and restless?
3. What do the teachers tell you about how your child’s ADHD behaviors interfere with classroom performance? Specifically talk about as work completion, forgetfulness of homework, listening to and following of directions, and whether the ADHD symptoms interfere with peer interactions? Improvement in concrete behaviors such as these can help the doctor judge the effectiveness of the ADHD medicine.
4. What ADHD behaviors are causing disruption in the home? Are ADHD symptoms such as forgetfulness, poor follow through with the rules and routines of the household, argumentativeness, poor tolerance to frustration, anxiety or sadness diminish your child’s happy home life?
5. Be ready to talk about your child’s many positive qualities that you do not want to see altered by ADHD medicine.

You will want to ask about:

1.       Side effects of the ADHD medication such as appetite or sleep interferences.

2.       Ask your doctor how you will know the ADHD medicine is “working”.

3.       Provide your doctor with all outside evaluations and documentations.

4.       Ask what side effects would indicate that the ADHD medicine needs adjustment or is not effective.

5.       Do not be alarmed if the first trial is not the right medicine. Every child with ADHD responds differently. Often times securing the right treatment for ADHD may seem like trial and error. That is when trust in your doctor becomes important.

* Psychologists and Educational Specialists at Child & Family Development are experienced in the evaluation and behavioral management of ADHD symptoms