Discerning the Best Options for ADHD Help

Discerning the best options for ADHD help can be overwhelming.  In a recent study, the CDC estimates that 11.3% of school aged children are diagnosed with ADHD.  ADHD is also the most common diagnosis we work with at LearningRx as we have trained thousands of children and adults with the diagnosis in the last several years.

The below strategies are common options for ADHD help:

• Medication
• School accommodations (IEPs, 504 plans)
• ADHD coaching
• Cognitive skills training

A common strategy is ADHD medication.  These are typically stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall.  There can be benefits to medication, however, there can also be unwelcome side-effects (loss of appetite, moodiness).  A recent Wall Street Journal study showed that ADHD medication does not necessarily boost grades. 

Along with medication, accommodations can be recommended which come in the forms of an IEP or 504 plan.  For example, a child with ADHD may receive preferential seating in the classroom to minimize distractions or be given more time to complete their homework.  These strategies can reduce expectations and put students with ADHD in more favorable circumstances for better academic performance.  However, accommodations are often lowering expectations to help a student perform.  This is important to note as none of use receive an IEP or accommodations as adults.  I have yet to meet an employer who gives an employee an extra week to complete a task because they have ADHD.  The goal should always be to help a child meet expectations and ideally not have to lower them.

ADHD coaching provides practical ways to deal with everyday tasks that might be tougher due to the diagnosis.  There is currently no research on who ADHD coaching may benefit the most, but the focus is on strategies to overcome common ADHD struggles like lack of organization, forgetfulness, etc.  These strategies can help, but the attention issues remain.  ADHD coaching can provide ways to work around it.

Cognitive skills training is a very different approach from medication, accommodations or ADHD coaching. Cognitive skills training seeks to identify and address the root cause of attention issues – usually due to a combination of weaker cognitive skills – and provide 1-on-1 training to strengthen these skills.  For example, peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology shows that for individuals diagnosed with ADHD, the weakest cognitive skill is not attention.  For those with ADHD the weakest skills are processing speed, working memory and long-term memory.  

Why is this important?  Because it means that ADHD interventions need to target more than just attention.  The above strategies can be helpful, but they do not address the root cause – just the symptom.  For example, when processing speed is low it means that an individual’s brain must work much harder to complete a task, to keep up.  This energy level becomes difficult to maintain, and a student zones out while listening to a lecture or completing homework or reading a textbook.  Cognitive skills training addressed the root cause of ADHD struggles to help students improve their abilities because the sole focus is on improving skills like processing speed, working memory and long-term memory and as a result, attention typically improves.  

The biggest difference is that the other strategies are working on addressing the symptom, but they are not long-term strategies, and they are not actually focused on the root cause.  

Additional peer-reviewed research published in the medical journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment showed that, for those with ADHD, LearningRx training improved cognitive skills, IQ and cooperative behavior for children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD.  In addition, those completing LearningRx training obtained clinically significant changes indicating overall recovery and improvements in confidence, cooperative behaviors and self-discipline. 

There are many strategies to choose from for those seeking ADHD help.  However, if your goal is to drive significant change and address the root cause, call LearningRx in Eagan today.  The first step is to schedule an initial assessment and consultation which will provide answers as to the cognitive skills impacting your loved one’s ADHD diagnosis.  

Hopefully this has provided some guidance for discerning the best options for ADHD help. Do not settle for strategies that work around your child’s ADHD or lower expectations.  Call LearningRx in Eagan today to unlock your child’s potential and put them on the path to a great school year!