ADD/ADHD Treatment - Children in West Virginia

West Virginia

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in childhood. It is marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity or both. There are three types of ADHD, characterized by the most prominent symptoms: primarily hyperactive-impulsive type, primarily inattentive type (previously referred to as attention deficit disorder, or ADD) and combined type. The prevalence of ADHD has been steadily increasing over the last two decades, which may be attributable in part to increased diagnoses rather than increased incidence. Common symptoms of ADHD include:

• Daydreaming a lot.
• Being impulsive.
• Forgetting or losing things frequently. 
• Talking too much.

It is important to diagnose and treat ADHD early. ADHD cannot be cured, but it can be managed and symptoms may improve as children age. The impulsivity and inattention associated with ADHD increase the risk of injury and make it difficult to engage in healthy sleep, diet or physical activity habits. If left untreated, ADHD can lead to significant problems in education, employment and personal relationships. Further, it is common for ADHD to occur alongside other disorders, such as anxiety, depression, other learning disorders and behavioral issues.

Barriers to ADHD treatment include lack of recognition and support from health care providers for proper screening and diagnosis, as well as misconceptions and stigma surrounding ADHD.

According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, the proportion of children with ADHD who are taking medication to treat their ADHD is higher among:

• Children age 6 and older compared with younger children. The same is true for receiving behavioral treatment. 
• White children compared with Asian children. White children and children whose race was identified as other are more likely to receive behavioral treatment than Asian children.
• Children with insurance compared with those without insurance. Also, a higher proportion of insured children receive behavioral treatment compared with uninsured children.

Strategies to increase access to and improve the quality of ADHD treatment among children include:

• Updating the pediatric and family medicine residency curricula to focus more on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. 
• Developing and supporting collaborative care models that involve rapid access to behavioral and mental health experts and consultants. 
• Encouraging post-training learning programs for health care providers and educators on behavioral and developmental health to increase confidence in providing services. 
• Providing better training among primary care providers to increase accurate knowledge of ADHD.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a clinical resource for providers on diagnosing and treating ADHD. 

The organization Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD) maintains a National Resource Center on ADHD for parents, educators and health care providers. Moreover, the program has toolkits that guide parents and caregivers through their options for ADHD management among children.

Healthy People 2030 has a goal to increase the proportion of children and adolescents with ADHD who get appropriate treatment.

Foy, Jane Meschan, Cori M. Green, Marian F. Earls, Arthur Lavin, George LaMonte Askew, Rebecca Baum, Evelyn Berger-Jenkins, et al. “Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice.” Pediatrics 144, no. 5 (November 1, 2019): e20192757. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2757.

McKenna, Kaitlyn, Sithara Wanni Arachchige Dona, Lisa Gold, Angela Dew, and Ha N. D. Le. “Barriers and Enablers of Service Access and Utilization for Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Attention Disorders 28, no. 3 (February 2024): 259–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231214002.