An Australian study looked into what factors determined whether children with ADHD were receiving treatment and taking advantage of available services. The determining factor identified by the study wasn’t socioeconomic, gender or race-based– it was how disruptive the child’s ADHD had become for the family. Here’s an excerpt from a story on the study from Reuters via Fox News Health, and there’s a link below to the full article. If you suspect your child might have ADD or ADHD, don’t wait for it to become problematic at home or at school to seek diagnosis and treatment. If you’re in the greater Cleveland area, we hope you’ll reach out to us to discuss an evaluation.
Many elementary school children with ADHD don’t get services like medication and behavior therapy that might improve their condition, according to an Australian study.
The condition’s impact on the family and the child’s age are the biggest determinants of whether parents tap into available services, researchers found.
“ADHD is not a trivial problem. It can have major negative effects on children’s learning, social interactions, emotional well-being, self-esteem and quality of life,” said lead author Dr. Daryl Efron by email.
“It has been our impression that some children with ADHD present quite late without having had professional assistance. We wanted to understand the factors which drive parents of children with ADHD to seek help,” said Efron, a pediatrician at Royal Children’s Hospital in Parkville, Victoria.
Efron noted that treatment tends to work better when children receive multiple services, including remedial education, behavioral strategies and, often, medication.