Outside the box : rethinking ADD/ADHD in children and adults : a practical guide

Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults―A Practical Guide identifies assumptions about ADD/ADHD that demand reevaluation in light of recent research. Building upon a current, science-based foundation, the book describes in practical terms how ADHD can be recognized at various ages; how it differs from more typical brain development; how it can significantly impair those affected; and how it can safely, and in most cases effectively, be treated in children and adults. The book is based upon current scientific research but also on the experience and perspective of the author, a clinician who has devoted more than 35 years to studying this disorder formally and countless hours to engaging with and providing treatment for a diversity of children, teenagers, and adults with ADHD and related problems. The book's audience is the wide variety of clinicians involved in assessing, treating, and/or monitoring the care of children and adults with this disorder (e.g., pediatricians, primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and clinical social workers) and also educators, disability service providers, human resource specialists, and the adolescents and adults who seek more information about ADHD assessment and treatment for themselves or for family or friends. The book offers practical, accessible information that is grounded in the latest research: • The book is focused not primarily on details of academic arguments but on practical aspects of ADHD―how it varies from one person to another, how it changes over the life span, how treatments need to be adjusted for different individuals, and how it sometimes gets worse and sometimes gets better.• Emphasizing that ADHD is not a simple problem of failing to listen or staying focused on a task, the author examines research demonstrating that ADHD results from impairment of a complex syndrome of brain functions essential for self-management, the "executive functions." • While DSM-5 is acknowledged as a valuable source of information about ADHD, this book draws upon a wider range of scientific research and perspectives not yet incorporated into DSM. • Although accessible to the general reader, the text includes citations to sources that can be used to obtain additional, more technical information. Utterly current and scientifically based, Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults―A Practical Guide challenges old thinking and provides much-needed information and support to clinicians, educators, patients, and families. Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults -- A Practical Guide identifies assumptions about ADD/ADHD that demand reevaluation in light of recent research. Building upon a current, science-based foundation, the book describes in practical terms how ADHD can be recognized at various ages; how it differs from more typical brain development; how it can significantly impair those affected; and how it can safely, and in most cases effectively, be treated in children and adults. The book is based upon current scientific research but also on the experience and perspective of the author, a clinician who has devoted more than 35 years to studying this disorder formally and countless hours to engaging with and providing treatment for a diversity of children, teenagers, and adults with ADHD and related problems. The book's audience is the wide variety of clinicians involved in assessing, treating, and/or monitoring the care of children and adults with this disorder (e.g., pediatricians, primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and clinical social workers) and also educators, disability service providers, human resource specialists, and the adolescents and adults who seek more information about ADHD assessment and treatment for themselves or for family or friends.The book offers practical, accessible information that is grounded in the latest research: - The book is focused not primarily on details of academic arguments but on practical aspects of ADHD -- how it varies from one person to another, how it changes over the life span, how treatments need to be adjusted for different individuals, and how it sometimes gets worse and sometimes gets better.- Emphasizing that ADHD is not a simple problem of failing to listen or staying focused on a task, the author examines research demonstrating that ADHD results from impairment of a complex syndrome of brain functions essential for self-management, the "executive functions." - While DSM-5 is acknowledged as a valuable source of information about ADHD, this book draws upon a wider range of scientific research and perspectives not yet incorporated into DSM. - Although accessible to the general reader, the text includes citations to sources that can be used to obtain additional, more technical information. Utterly current and scientifically based, Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults -- A Practical Guide challenges old thinking and provides much-needed information and support to clinicians, educators, patients, and families. Cover 1 Half Title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 10 About the Author 14 Preface 16 Introduction 18 Chapter 1 Basic Facts and the Central Mystery of ADHD 32 Chapter 2 A New Model of ADHD EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IMPAIRMENTS 42 Chapter 3 Differences Among Persons With ADHD 58 Chapter 4 Ways ADHD Can Impair Functioning at Various Age Levels 76 Chapter 5 How ADHD Impacts “Brain Googling” for Motivations 92 Chapter 6 How ADHD Develops, Sometimes Gets Worse, and Sometimes Improves 110 Chapter 7 How and Why Other Disorders Often Co-occur With ADHD 132 Chapter 8 Assessing Children, Teenagers, and Adults for ADHD 160 Chapter 9 Emotional Dynamics in Individuals, Couples, and Families Coping With ADHD 182 Chapter 10 Practical Aspects of Medication Treatments for ADHD 202 Chapter 11 Practical Aspects of Nonmedication Interventions for ADHD 234 Chapter 12 Treatment Adaptations for ADHD With Various Complications 264 References 288 Index 310 Back Cover 338 Outside the Box Rethinking ADD/ADHD in CHILDREN and ADULTS A PRACTICAL GUIDE,Medical,Child & Adolescent,Psychiatry Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults -- A Practical Guide identifies as-sumptions about ADD/ADHD that demand revaluation in light of recent research. Building upon a current, science-based foundation, the book describes in practical terms how ADHD can be recog-nized at various ages; how it differs from more typical brain development; how it can significantly impair those affected; and how it can safely, and in most cases effectively, be treated in children and adults. The book is based upon current scientific research but also on the experience and per-spective of the author, a clinician who has devoted more than 35 years to studying this disorder formally and countless hours to engaging with and providing treatment for a diversity of children, teenagers, and adults with ADHD and related problems. The book's audience is the wide variety of clinicians involved in assessing, treating, and/or monitoring the care of children and adults with this disorder (e.g., pediatricians, primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and clinical social workers) and also educators, disability service providers, human resource specialists, and the adolescents and adults who seek more information about ADHD assessment and treatment for themselves or for family or friends. The book offers practical, accessible information that is grounded in the latest research: * The book is focused not primarily on details of academic arguments but on practical aspects of ADHD -- how it varies from one person to another, how it changes over the life span, how treatments need to be adjusted for different individuals, and how it sometimes gets worse and sometimes gets better. Emphasizing that ADHD is not a simple problem of failing to listen or staying focused on a task, the author examines research demonstrating that ADHD results from impairment of a complex syndrome of brain functions essential for self-management, the executive functions. * While DSM-5 is acknowledged as a valuable source of information about ADHD, this book draws upon a wider range of scientific research and perspectives not yet incorporated into DSM. * Although accessible to the general reader, the text includes citations to sources that can be used to obtain additional, more technical information. Utterly current and scientifically based, Outside the Box: Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults -- A Practical Guide challenges old thinking and provides much-needed information and support to clinicians, educators, patients, and families. -- Provided by publisher Outside the Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults A Practical Guide assails decades-old assumptions and presents an up-to-date, science-based understanding of this disorder that causes significant impairment and considerable suffering for about 8% to 10% of children and at least 5% of adults. Designed for the layperson, as well as for clinicians, the book offers science-based answers in plain, understandable language to questions such as the Why are those with ADD/ADHD able to focus very well on a few tasks in which they have strong interest but are unable to focus adequately on many other tasks they recognize as important? How is ADHD like having erectile dysfunction of the mind? Is medication treatment for ADHD more or less risky than its not being treated with medicine? Both down-to-earth and cutting-edge, Outside the Rethinking ADD/ADHD in Children and Adults A Practical Guide highlights multiple perspectives on how this disorder affects children and adults who suffer from it, as well as those who love and care for them. The book is written in an accessible, even entertaining, way that provides science-based answers to a wide variety of questions about ADHD, its evaluation, and treatment