What Works for ADHD? A Guide to Effective Treatment
What is ADHD?
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition experienced by approximately 5% of the population. The term “neurodevelopmental” highlights the fact that there is natural variation in how the brain processes attention, energy, and impulse control. The way that ADHD brains process the world often bring strengths such as creativity, spontaneity, and enthusiasm. At the same time, individuals with ADHD face challenges with regulating attention, emotion, activity levels, and/or impulsive behaviors in environments that prioritize sustained focus and routine, and this mis-match between how one’s brain works and the expectations of their environment can lead to problems with navigating daily life. Despite common misconceptions that ADHD is a childhood-only condition, the vast majority of ADHD youth (whether or not they were properly diagnosed) continue to experience symptoms into adulthood and throughout the lifespan.
What Does Not Work?
Ethical practice requires that clinicians do not oversell what therapy can accomplish. Play therapy, animal-assisted therapy, neurofeedback, special diets, cognitive training, and individual talk therapy with children are not evidence-based treatments for ADHD and have not been shown to be reliably effective in improving the core symptoms of ADHD.
What Does Work?
Effective ADHD management typically involves a combination of medication, skills-based therapy, and environmental modifications/accommodations.
Both stimulant (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse) and non-stimulant (e.g., Intuniv, Tenex, Straterra) medications are FDA-approved, evidence-based interventions for ADHD. Research shows that the majority of people with ADHD show significant benefits from medication and side effects are generally well tolerated.
Behavior therapy for children focuses on helping parents, teachers, and other caregivers to structure the environment in a way that best supports the child with ADHD. Examples of behavior therapy include helping parents to anticipate behavior challenges, developing reasonable expectations, planning for how to respond to positive and negative behaviors, knowing how to use effective reminders and consequences, and helping with organization.
Skills-based therapy for older children and teens aim to provide practical tools for addressing executive function challenges, including task planning, organization, time management, and managing materials for school/work. Examples include the Sprich-Safren Program, The HOPS Program, and the STAND Program (scroll over each program for more information).
Older children, teens, and especially adults often benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and/or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which provide skills but also include a wider range of interventions designed to support other challenges often experienced by individuals with ADHD, including anxiety, depression, relational conflict, problem solving, and communication.
Exercise. There is some evidence that regular exercise can improve symptoms of ADHD. While the research is still ongoing, the benefits of exercise are well-documented for mood and other areas of functioning, and we enthusiastically recommend it.
Environmental changes. Many of the challenges ADHDers face come from having to navigate a world created for neurotypical brains. Identifying the environmental supports, modifications, and accommodations that best fit one’s neurodivergent brain is key to long-term management of ADHD. These might include modified working hours, flexible seating arrangements, movement breaks, and sensory supports as examples.
Free online resources to learn more and gain practical tips for managing ADHD can be found here:
What is ADHD?
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition experienced by approximately 5% of the population. The term “neurodevelopmental” highlights the fact that there is natural variation in how the brain processes attention, energy, and impulse control. The way that ADHD brains process the world often bring strengths such as creativity, spontaneity, and enthusiasm. At the same time, individuals with ADHD face challenges with regulating attention, emotion, activity levels, and/or impulsive behaviors in environments that prioritize sustained focus and routine, and this mis-match between how one’s brain works and the expectations of their environment can lead to problems with navigating daily life. Despite common misconceptions that ADHD is a childhood-only condition, the vast majority of ADHD youth (whether or not they were properly diagnosed) continue to experience symptoms into adulthood and throughout the lifespan.
What Does Not Work?
Ethical practice requires that clinicians do not oversell what therapy can accomplish. Play therapy, animal-assisted therapy, neurofeedback, special diets, cognitive training, and individual talk therapy with children are not evidence-based treatments for ADHD and have not been shown to be reliably effective in improving the core symptoms of ADHD.
What Does Work?
Effective ADHD management typically involves a combination of medication, skills-based therapy, and environmental modifications/accommodations.
Both stimulant (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse) and non-stimulant (e.g., Intuniv, Tenex, Straterra) medications are FDA-approved, evidence-based interventions for ADHD. Research shows that the majority of people with ADHD show significant benefits from medication and side effects are generally well tolerated.
Behavior therapy for children focuses on helping parents, teachers, and other caregivers to structure the environment in a way that best supports the child with ADHD. Examples of behavior therapy include helping parents to anticipate behavior challenges, developing reasonable expectations, planning for how to respond to positive and negative behaviors, knowing how to use effective reminders and consequences, and helping with organization.
Skills-based therapy for older children and teens aim to provide practical tools for addressing executive function challenges, including task planning, organization, time management, and managing materials for school/work. Examples include the Sprich-Safren Program, The HOPS Program, and the STAND Program (scroll over each program for more information).
Older children, teens, and especially adults often benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and/or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which provide skills but also include a wider range of interventions designed to support other challenges often experienced by individuals with ADHD, including anxiety, depression, relational conflict, problem solving, and communication.
Exercise. There is some evidence that regular exercise can improve symptoms of ADHD. While the research is still ongoing, the benefits of exercise are well-documented for mood and other areas of functioning, and we enthusiastically recommend it.
Environmental changes. Many of the challenges ADHDers face come from having to navigate a world created for neurotypical brains. Identifying the environmental supports, modifications, and accommodations that best fit one’s neurodivergent brain is key to long-term management of ADHD. These might include modified working hours, flexible seating arrangements, movement breaks, and sensory supports as examples.
Free online resources to learn more and gain practical tips for managing ADHD can be found here:
- How to ADHD YouTube channel:
- Dedicated to ADHD Science YouTube channel (Operated by Dr. Russell Barkley, an international leader on ADHD)
- ADHD advocacy organization with many free resources:
- Free online course for learning how to support your elementary school-aged child: