This study described which treatments US children and adolescents with ADHD were receiving. It drew on a national survey of parents, the 2014 National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome. The sample was 2495 children and adolescents aged 4 to 17 years whose parents reported they currently had ADHD. The results were weighted to represent the country.
Medication was the most common current treatment (66.9%). School supports were close behind (64.7%). Nearly all of the children had received medication at some point (90.8%).
Fewer were getting help aimed at behavior and skills, such as social skills training or parent training. About a third were currently in at least one of these (32.5%).
A smaller group had used alternative treatments. Some had ever been given dietary supplements (17.8%), and fewer were receiving them at the time of the survey (9.3%). Neurofeedback was rarer, with very few children currently using it (1.5%).
Younger children, aged 4 to 11, were more likely than teens to receive most treatments.
The findings have limits. One parent answered for each child, and the reports were not checked against medical or school records. The response rate was low, which may bias the results. Very few 4- and 5-year-olds were included. The survey also could not say whether the treatments reported were high quality or backed by evidence.
Anyone with questions about supplements should talk to a clinician about their situation.
Source: Melissa L. Danielson, Susanna N. Visser, Andrea Chronis‐Tuscano, et al.. A National Description of Treatment among United States Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The Journal of Pediatrics (2017). doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.08.040