Attention Deficit Disorder: Practical Coping Mechanisms PDF

Preface

The biggest challenge of specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) for the last 15, going on 20, years has been the controversy and the vast array of opinions regarding one disorder. I recall being on a panel with rather esteemed colleagues for a large pediatric conference several years ago. Every time the audience asked a question, none of us agreed with one another. While attempting to be polite and not to dispute one another publicly, it was rather clear that no one agreed on what ADD/ADHD was and what it wasn't. The result was a lot of confusion for the public, who probably left this meeting with more questions than answers.

Since that day I have always dreamed of having a book in which professionals from all types of disciplines could express their opinions about this rather controversial and disputed over- and under-diagnosed disorder in order to help other professionals and the public to have a better sense of exactly what ADD is. Although there are opinions expressed in this book that differ based upon the discipline of the writer, there are even more themes that are similar and represent agreement in the field. Many, many books have been published on ADD/ ADHD. What makes this book different is that its contributors and the wide range of professionals who contributed their opinion represent one of the first times — if not the first time—that experts from all of the professional fields—functional medicine; neurology; sleep medicine; psychiatry; cardiology; neuropsychology; psychology; family practice; academic, speech and language pathology; tutorial, weight/nutrition, and respiratory therapy,—united their efforts. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new era in the world of ADD/ADHD, where professionals from different disciplines gather to exchange knowledge rather than to dispute one another in their correct opinion. I am also hopeful that there will come a day when professionals agree wholeheartedly on a specific test battery to evaluate ADD/ADHD (similar to what we already have in terms of cognitive, intellectual, and achievement assessment). When this occurs I predict that the confusion around what ADD is, and what it isn't, will be resolved rather quickly. In using a test battery to evaluate ADD/ADHD, the process starts with evaluation and then rules in clinical symptoms—as opposed to beginning with symptoms and trying to prove their existence by evaluation. The latter process has not been successful and continues to be unsuccessful, succeeding only in creating more confusion and more controversy as professionals cling to their belief system, which has not been validated by evaluation. What we have been doing so far has not worked. Everyone agrees that ADD/ADHD is overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed— that the diagnosis of ADHD masks disorders that become worse due to lack of diagnosis, and that treatment becomes equally problematic for the same reasons.

The various chapters describing sleep disorders will serve to illustrate the tremendous overlap we are finding between attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and sleep deprivation, upper airway resistance syndrome, frank sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and restless legs syndrome. In citing the various sleep disorders that can create sleep deprivation and/or daytime sleepiness, it is essential to rule out such possibilities prior to the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. Treatment begins with the assessment process and encompasses a range of interventions—from medication to cognitive therapies to compensatory strategies and various tools that can be implemented to improve anyone's quality of life—with the goal being graceful aging. Accurate assessment is a pivotal component in the development of a treatment plan that has greater odds of being successful due to the clear delineation of primary versus secondary problematic attention symptoms.

This book illustrates that attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity is not solely a behavioral problem, nor is it solely a cognitive issue, and it certainly is not immune to the overlap of an assortment of undiagnosed syndromes and disorders that contribute to its symptom manifestation. Treatment takes its power from the accuracy of the diagnosis and the combined forces of treating professionals from diverse backgrounds working together to solve an equally diverse disorder.

I am grateful to the authors, leaders in their respective fields, whose contributions are contained in this book, and I hope that this book will set the stage for professionals to work together, exchanging information with one another and working towards the common goal of helping a child, adolescent, adult, and aged person to be the best that they can be. ADD/ADHD never needs to be the reason that a person does not maximize their skills or fulfill their dreams. We can control the symptoms of ADD/ADHD with knowledge; there is absolutely no reason it ever has to control us. It is a new day with new horizons, new treatments, and new solutions to a problem affecting so many—we have many choices and more solutions than we know.