NCJ Number
123388
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Chemical Dependency Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (1990) Pages: 5-30
Date Published
1990
Length
26 pages
Annotation
After explaining the features of attention deficit disorder (ADD) with and without hyperactivity, this article considers the prevalence of ADD in a chemically-dependent population, diagnostic and treatment issues, and parents' questions and concerns.
Abstract
Lifelong distractibility that produces a poor attention span is symptomatic of someone having an ADD without hyperactivity. ADD with hyperactivity involves difficulty in being attentive to tasks and conversations, accompanied by gross motor activity. Although no formal prevalence studies have been conducted in the United States to determine the frequency of ADD among chemically-dependent populations, one drug treatment program found 37 boys with ADD among 280 boys and girls under treatment. Early ADD diagnosis and early intervention (counseling, enhancing parents' child management skills, maintenance medication for many, and remedial education for some) are important to spare the child years of academic underachievement and social misery, which tend to increase the child's risk for chemical dependency problems later in life. Properly diagnosed and treated in conjunction with a drug treatment program, juveniles diagnosed as having ADD from childhood can be given new hope in multimodal treatment. 11 references.