5. What Parents (need) Want to Know about ADHD Psychosocial Treatments & Outcomes

It is well-documented that parents of children who have ADHD seek holistic and comprehensive information to better understand ADHD and it’s various treatments. It has also been established that parents view family physicians and pediatricians as trusted experts for knowledge and advice on this topic. However, many care providers do not feel equipped to provide broad level information about ADHD in a time efficient manner and in accordance with parent needs, often leading to parent distress and suboptimal treatment engagement. In this workshop we will review research findings that address parental information needs and preferences about childhood ADHD. Participants will be taught straight-forward approaches to explain and discuss important aspects of ADHD and it’s interventions. Topics will include explaining ADHD as a disorder of executive functioning, functional implications of ADHD across development, and effective parenting approaches for managing ADHD symptoms. Participants will be provided with materials that may be used to create brief parent-friendly information modules that can be used/implemented in clinical encounters with families.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze their understanding of ADHD and how it can impair functioning in children.
2. Summarize and explain essential aspects of ADHD to parents.
3. Implement brief information modules in clinical sessions with families.

CADDRA – Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance has been approved by the College of Family Physicians, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Psychological Association to offer 1.25 continuing education credits for this session.  CADDRA maintains responsibility for the program.

Participation in a discussion forum is required to claim full credits.