ADHD Diagnosis & Treatment Guidelines – Information for ParentsAsk The Expert

Original Air Date March 31, 2020 | 2-3:00 PM EDT


Max Wiznitzer MD

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The American Academy of Pediatrics has just published clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of ADHD for the preschool, school-age, and adolescent populations. This presentation reviews these guidelines, which emphasize the importance of evaluation and management in the setting of a medical home and with input from multiple sources, including schools and caregivers, and the need for management using behavioral, educational, and pharmacological treatments as indicated, and how they differ from previous recommendations. The Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) has also published clinical practice guidelines for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with complex ADHD–which is ADHD with coexisting conditions. The Complex ADHD Guideline includes five key action statements to help clinicians assess ADHD, evaluate coexisting conditions, and implement treatment that includes behavioral and educational interventions and medication.

A pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, DR. Wiznitzer is also an associate professor of pediatrics, neurology and international health at Case Western Reserve University. He is on the editorial board of Lancet Neurology and the Journal of Child Neurology and lectures nationally and internationally about various neurodevelopmental disabilities.