Treating ADHD During the Scho... Video Transcript

Webcast Transcript

And, again, I think the goal that we have to have for these children is not doing a little bit better, but what we like to call "full normalization." They can be just as successful, just as happy, just as well-liked as many of their classmates, as all of their classmates. So it depends on the skills and the talents of the child, it also means effective treatment and putting them all together.

LISA CLARK: Finally, doctor, if you had one message about managing ADHD through treatment during the school year, what would that be?

PETER JENSEN, MD: Well, what I'd tell parents -- and doctors as well -- is don't settle for too little. Understand that the children can do very well. Sometimes what we see happening is that the doctor or the parent, they'll be so afraid of the medicine, they'll underdose. Or they won't give it at times when the child really could help.

And so Johnny -- who might be a little bit of a pain in the neck -- gets a little bit of medicine. And so he's still kind of a pain in the neck. He's half a pain in the neck. And that's -- that means that he's going to be half of the pain in the neck feedback from his teachers, from his friends.

And so if you don't give the treatments as fully as you might, children won't do as well as they possibly can. So don't settle for less than you have to.

LISA CLARK: Dr. Jensen, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate you're being here. And we also appreciate you joining us for this webcast. I'm Lisa Clark.

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