For Immediate Release
Contact: Erin Baker, Communications Director
202.966.7300, Ext. 119
ebaker@aacap.org
Adam Lowe, Communications Coordinator
202.966.7300, Ext. 154
alowe@aacap.org
Washington, DC, March 31, 2009 - In a statement on the homepage of its Web site, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry urges families not to stop treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without physician consultation. This statement on the AACAP’s home page addresses the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, published on the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Web site on March 26, 2009.
“This study has different implications for different children and adolescents,” said Robert Hendren, D.O., President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “It’s incumbent on physicians to help parents understand how the research affects the individual patient and to recommend a treatment approach created for the unique child.”
The study follows 436 children and adolescents over eight years. The children and adolescents in the study represent different ages, developmental stages, levels of impairment, co-occurring disorders, and family resources.
The study includes the role of behavioral therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, parenting training, and social skills training in managing symptoms associated with ADHD. Community-based approaches which involve the entire family and key individuals in the child’s life such as school personnel are addressed by the study.
ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by excessive restlessness, inattention, distraction, and impulsivity. Estimates show that between three and seven percent of school-aged children and approximately four percent of adults have ADHD.1
Children and adolescents who have not received treatment for ADHD are at increased risk of school failure and dropout, behavior and discipline problems, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, relationship difficulties, employment problems, driving accidents, and involvement with the juvenile justice system.
For more information on ADHD, parents are encouraged to read the ADHD ParentsMedGuide, developed by a consensus group of medical professionals and parent advocacy groups. Physicians are encouraged to read the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Practice Parameter on the Assessment and Treatment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The AACAP’s Mission is the promotion of mentally health children, adolescents and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, peer support and collaboration.
To interview a child and adolescent psychiatrist about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), contact Communications Coordinator Adam Lowe in AACAP’s Communications Office at 202.966.7300, 154 or alowe@aacap.org.
1. CDC: “Diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disability: United States,” 2004-2006.
Contact: Erin Baker, Communications Director
202.966.7300, Ext. 119
ebaker@aacap.org
Adam Lowe, Communications Coordinator
202.966.7300, Ext. 154
alowe@aacap.org
Washington, DC, March 31, 2009 - In a statement on the homepage of its Web site, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry urges families not to stop treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without physician consultation. This statement on the AACAP’s home page addresses the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, published on the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Web site on March 26, 2009.
“This study has different implications for different children and adolescents,” said Robert Hendren, D.O., President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “It’s incumbent on physicians to help parents understand how the research affects the individual patient and to recommend a treatment approach created for the unique child.”
The study follows 436 children and adolescents over eight years. The children and adolescents in the study represent different ages, developmental stages, levels of impairment, co-occurring disorders, and family resources.
The study includes the role of behavioral therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, parenting training, and social skills training in managing symptoms associated with ADHD. Community-based approaches which involve the entire family and key individuals in the child’s life such as school personnel are addressed by the study.
ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by excessive restlessness, inattention, distraction, and impulsivity. Estimates show that between three and seven percent of school-aged children and approximately four percent of adults have ADHD.1
Children and adolescents who have not received treatment for ADHD are at increased risk of school failure and dropout, behavior and discipline problems, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, relationship difficulties, employment problems, driving accidents, and involvement with the juvenile justice system.
For more information on ADHD, parents are encouraged to read the ADHD ParentsMedGuide, developed by a consensus group of medical professionals and parent advocacy groups. Physicians are encouraged to read the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Practice Parameter on the Assessment and Treatment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The AACAP’s Mission is the promotion of mentally health children, adolescents and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment, peer support and collaboration.
To interview a child and adolescent psychiatrist about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), contact Communications Coordinator Adam Lowe in AACAP’s Communications Office at 202.966.7300, 154 or alowe@aacap.org.
1. CDC: “Diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disability: United States,” 2004-2006.
