Introduction
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurologic and developmental illness diagnosed in childhood and can continue in adulthood. Treatment of this disease often raises questions for both pediatricians and parents. Therefore, disseminated information regarding this issue must be accurate and cover all the areas that are important to the audience.
Discussion
Pharmacological treatment of ADHD in children may pose a risk of developing substance use disorders in adulthood. Many clinical guidelines recommend beginning with behavioral therapy that can be complemented by medications later (Wolraich et al., 2019). The reason for concerns regarding pharmacological treatment is that medications contain amphetamines, methylphenidate, and so further, which may cause addiction (Özgen et al., 2020). Thus, it is recommended to perform regular screening for substance abuse in pediatric patients (Cortese et al., 2020). In this regard, all this information should be properly communicated to an audience.
When disseminating information regarding the described problem, one needs to pay attention to a range of aspects. First, it is the audience that comprises pediatricians and parents. Second, considering the varied categories of the audience, it becomes more reasonable to arrange different venues for two groups. For instance, it can be a conference for pediatricians where they will be able to exchange their experiences and opinions. For parents, informative group meetings are more suitable because parents may need additional explanations regarding treatment and corresponding risks. The methods of communicating information will also differ for both groups. Developing an interactive panel can be useful for pediatricians because it will simplify the exchange of professional experiences. A poster that contains detailed and clearly arranged information is a good option for parents.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ADHD has to be treated with regard to the peculiarities of a pediatric patient. Despite the availability of clinical guidelines, treatment methods have to be constantly reviewed and modified. The information disseminated to the audience concerning ADHD has to be adapted for both pediatricians and parents.
References
Cortese, S. (2020). Pharmacologic treatment of attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(11), pp. 1050-1056.
Özgen, H., Spijkerman, R., Noack, M., Holtmann, M., Schellekens, A.S., Van De Glind, G., Banaschewski, T., Barta, C., Begeman, A., Casas, M. and Crunelle, C.L. (2020). International consensus statement for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of adolescents with concurrent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder. European addiction research, 26(4-5), pp. 223-232.
Wolraich, M.L., Hagan, J.F., Allan, C., Chan, E., Davison, D., Earls, M., Evans, S.W., Flinn, S.K., Froehlich, T., Frost, J. and Holbrook, J.R. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4).