Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Non-medicinal intervention works with ADHD

A U.S. study shows non-medicinal interventions help prevent behavioral and academic problems associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
|
|
 
  
Published: Aug. 23, 2007 at 8:57 AM

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. study shows non-medicinal interventions help prevent behavioral and academic problems associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Researchers from Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., focused on 135 children aged 3 to 5 who showed significant symptoms of ADHD -- a mental disorder that makes it difficult for children to control their behavior and pay attention. Early intervention techniques included highly individualized programs that often rely on positive supports to reinforce behavior.

Using a variety of early intervention strategies, parents reported, on average, a 17-percent decrease in aggression and a 21-percent improvement in their children's social skills. In the classroom, teachers saw a 28-percent improvement in both categories. Early literacy skills improved up to three times over their baseline status.

The researchers suggest a multi-tiered approach to intervention, offering more traditional services to at-risk children and more intensive services to children in greatest need.

"Medication may address the symptoms of ADHD, but it does not necessarily improve children’s academic and social skills," study leader George DuPaul said in a statement.

The findings are reported in School Psychology Review.

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Health News Stories
1 of 20
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visited in Washington
View Caption
Veterans etch the names of their friends inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on May 26, 2012 in Washington, DC. More than 58,000 names of the servicemen who were killed or missing in the war are engraved on The Wall. UPI/Pat Benic
fark
Canadian hang-glider pilot says he's really sorry he dropped that poor tourist to her death, and...
In this day and age, the Golden Gate bridge would never be built, thanks to hipsters, enviro-nuts...
Dick Winters, a true American hero, immortalized with a statue in Normandy. It's about damn time...
Apparently Best Korean officials are suffering from contagious and deadly "traffic accidents"
Police state that naked man eating another naked man's face is certainly a rare occurrence. "Other...
Survey indicates women enjoy the best sex of their lives when they reach 28, men at 33. After that,...