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Diagnosis and treatment of children with attention deficit disorder: A close look at clinical practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Gill Lewin  and
Janet Fletcher
Gill Lewin
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia
Janet Fletcher*
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr Janet Fletcher, Psychology Department, University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia.
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Abstract

Clinic procedures are frequently justified on the basis of research studies, yet clients and procedures may be sufficiently different to make generalisation of findings a dubious proposition. For this reason the staff of a major children’s clinic chose to review both process and outcome in the diagnosis and treatment of children referred with suspected attention deficit disorder. Children were diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity. However, the diagnostic groups could be differentiated on too few pre-treatment variables to be considered different populations. In addition, the treatment offered did not differentiate between children with different diagnoses. Evaluation of treatment at 4 mths showed limited improvement in children who were treated with methylphenidate (Ritalin). At 12 mths no improvements were evident that could be directly attributed to treatment. The study points out the importance of individual clinics monitoring the processes of diagnosis and treatment of children referred with suspected attention deficit disorder and emphasises the need for referring agents and clinic personnel to maintain effective communication.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 20 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1993

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