Answers For Parents

ADD / ADHD Treatment for Teenagers

Written by: Anita Holmes, B.S. SPED, History, Management, M.P.A.

This past Thursday, the parent/teacher conference was short and not so sweet.  Troubled teens with ADD.

James (not his real name) will finish his third year in high school on May 21st.  In Alaska, the state where I teach, a minimum of 22 credits is required for graduation.

Although James has a low absentee rate, and is invariably categorized by his teachers as a soft-spoken, sweet guy, he has exactly 3 ½ credits earned towards his high school degree.

Next fall, he should be a senior.  He’s not yet a successful freshman.  Does he want to graduate?  Yes!  He truly does!  He’s discouraged and ashamed. His teachers are sick at heart. The counseling staff is at their wits’ end.

We’ve tried every strategy we can think of to turn around this kid’s road to failure.  To get him to even occasionally turn in a completed assignment.  So what’s the deal?

In his favor, he has no learning disabilities.  He has a loving, long-suffering family.  Friends.  Interests outside of school.  A part-time job.  No apparent behavior problems at school.  Nevertheless, in regards to troubled teens he is a very troubled teen!

Why?

James has the “couch potato” form of Attention Deficit Disorder.

He has a chemical imbalance that makes it virtually impossible to focus;  to stay on task.  In fact, the harder he tries to concentrate, the lower already-deficit levels of seratonin in his brain dive.  Talk about self-sabotage!  And he is not on medication to correct the problem.  He has hinted at suicide as a solution to his shortcomings.  On the home front, he takes out his frustrations on his siblings.

No matter how hard he may wish his body’s physical imperfection away, he can no more remedy the imbalance by thought than a kid with diabetes can their body’s inability to produce sufficient levels of insulin.  Medication, paired with behavior modification, is the most proven path to ending ADD-related destructive/self-destructive behaviors.

ADD has many manifestations.  In James, it is characterized by his sitting quietly, unable to focus long enough to complete academic tasks.  For kids with ADD with hyperactivity, not only can they not concentrate, but they bounce off classroom walls, disrupting other students’ attempts to learn, and driving teachers and family members to early graves.

If you suspect you have a troubled teen who may be subject to ADD, I recommend you take the Amen Clinic Brain System Checklist, found at http://www.amenclinics.com/ac/tests/.

Helping troubled teens turn their lives around means addressing all threats to their well-being.  ADD may be one of the enemies you need to battle.

How does Answers For Parents help Parents of troubled Teens and Young Adults?

Answers For Parents is committed to helping troubled teens change their lives and once again become integral members of their families and communities. Although there is no greater resource than parents communicating and strengthening their troubled teens, sometimes intervention is required outside of the family unit and this is where Answers For Parents can help. Answers For Parents offers free expert treatment program Admissions Services for troubled teens and young adults. Please call us today for a free and confidential consultation at 877-242-6793. You can view our 24/7 Parent Help Line by clicking here.