The Multimodal Treatment Assessment (MTA)

Intro
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 11 percent of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. Experts caution the rate in adults may be higher, but many adults remain undiagnosed. ADHD cannot be cured but can be managed. The most effective way to manage ADHD is with stimulant medications and many other alternatives. I will

The MTA is funded by the National Institute for Mental Health. According to the MTA study children with ADHD had responded favorably to 35 very extensive sessions of multimodal treatment. The sessions included medication, parent training, a full-time summer treatment program that taught social, sports … and academic skills. Daily report cards are also a good system, because they get rewards for achieved goals or good behavior. (MTA 1999). The treatments children with ADHD receive are highly effective in reducing the major symptoms. Parents are the children’s first teachers so they need to be the closest they can to experts on ADHD. Better outcomes for youngsters with ADHD are achieved when parents, teachers, and medical and mental health providers collaborate

Scientific evidence strongly supports the effectiveness of stimulant in managing the symptoms of ADHD, they are recommended as the first choice of medications used in treating children with ADHD. The two main types of stimulants are the methylphenidate formulas and the amphetamine formulas. Stimulants increase (or stimulate) the production of neurotransmitters, to a normalized level (Rief 39). The brand name for methylphenidate is Ritalin and the brand name for Amphetamine stimulants are Dexedrine and Adderall. These two main types of stimulants have been proven to work very favorably for treating children. Theses stimulants help children academically at school, and adults to perform better at work. The medication typically is giving at a low dosage and raising it gradually. Some individual require adjusting not just the dosage but the medication several times. Some stimulant medications take effect very quickly within thirty minutes. Many individuals don’t really want to take medication, but would not function right without them. People with ADHD have to outweigh the side effects of the medications with the benefits. Thousands of children have been involved in research evaluating their use in the treatment of