AAP Clinical Practice Guidelines

This clinical practice guideline provides recommendations for the assessment and diagnosis of school-aged children with AD/HD by primary care clinicians working in primary care settings .

The significant components of the diagnostic guideline include 1) the use of DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis; 2) the importance of obtaining information about the child's symptoms in more than one setting (especially from schools); and 3) the search for coexisting conditions that may make the diagnosis more difficult or complicate treatment planning.

The recommendations are based on a systematic review of evidence about prevalence, coexisting conditions, and diagnostic tests.

Treatment of the School-Aged Child With
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
American Academy of Pediatrics
Committee on Quality Improvement
Subcommittee on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
October 2001

This clinical practice guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of children diagnosed with AD/HD. The initiation of treatment requires the accurate establishment of a diagnosis of AD/HD.

Based on an extensive review of the medical, psychological, and educational literature, the guideline emphasizes 1) consideration of AD/HD as a chronic condition; 2) minimizing impact of symptoms; 3) use of stimulant medication and behavior therapy; and 4) close monitoring of treatment outcomes and failures.

Primary care clinicians cannot work alone in the treatment of school-aged children with AD/HD. Ongoing communication with parents, teachers, and other school-based professionals is necessary to monitor the progress and effectiveness of specific interventions.

Other Web Sites:

• Clinical Practice Guideline: Diagnosis and Evaluation of the Child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  Pediatrics, May, 105(5), pp. 1158-70, 2000.
• Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of the School-Aged Child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  Pediatrics, October, 108(4), pp. 1033-44, 2001.
• NICHQ AD/HD Practitioners' Toolkit
  Sponsored by the AAP, the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality created a set of real-world tools for primary care practitioners to use in implementing the AAP guidelines for treating AD/HD.