1) The document discusses treatment options for children diagnosed with ADHD, specifically whether medication should be the first option. 2) While medication can help mask ADHD symptoms, it risks long-term side effects as the brain is still developing. 3) There are alternative treatments that combine therapy, lifestyle changes, and non-stimulant options that may be more effective without side effects.

1. Hayley Andreasen
Cornerstone
04/30/2015
Medicating Children with ADHD
I. Introduction
a. Attention Getter: Visualize yourself five, ten years down the road.
b. Referto Audience: Some of you may have a child or multiple for that
matter, and some may not. Now imagine one of those children is
diagnosed with ADHD. They are struggling academically, are impulsive,
disruptive, and have low attention span. Unfortunately, you are forced
with the decision to medicate or seek alternative methods of treatment.
c. Main Point: Medication has its perks in masking the symptoms of
ADHD, but alternatives to medicating have a more positive affect over
symptoms without side effects.
d. Establish Credibility: Based on the research I have acquired over the past
two weeks, I feel confident enough to present you with an educated
decision on why medication should not be the first treatment option for
children diagnosed with ADHD.
e. Preview: In the speech I will present information on what the disorder is,
how medicating can affect a young individual, and alternatives that have a
longer lasting affect compared to medication.
Transition: Medicating children with ADHD should be the last treatment
option because the brain is not fully developed, there is a risk of becoming
co-dependent with long-term effects, and there are better alternatives than
medicine.
II. Body
a. What is ADHD and how does it affect the brain?
i. Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is categorized as a
developmental disorder causing a person to become easily
distracted, have a low attention span, hyperactivity, and little to no
impulse control.
ii. The disorder does not usually arise as ADHD alone, but tends to be
co-morbid in nature.
iii. Thanks to imaging studies on the frontal lobes, it is now known the
brain is not fully matured in cognitive processing until the age of
30.
Transition: Because of the struggles the symptoms exhibit in our society
today, medication is looked at as the first treatment option to subdue the
disorder.
b. Medication has become commonplace for the treatment of ADHD
because it controls the symptoms, allows children to focus in the
classroom, but also controls social interactions through the use of a
stimulant.

2. i. There is evidence to show psychostimulants improve the affected
child’s behavior in both a classroom and social environment.
ii. Stimulants are an easy, efficient way of managing symptoms in
comparison to non-medicated alternatives.
iii. To control the child’s symptomatic actions, psychotropic drugs
tend to be administered. However, young children can be more
sensitive to side effects of the medication.
Transition: Early exposure to these stimulants could have a maladaptive
effect on the child’s developing brain, which could follow them through
adulthood, making non-medicated treatments in the future virtually
impossible.
c. Considering some of these affects, alternatives for using stimulants have
been considered by doctors and parents who are skeptical about
medicating children.
i. By combining drugs with therapy, there is a greater chance of
diminishing the majority of the problematic symptoms the disorder
presents.
ii. The range of factors able to contribute to the development of the
disorder, as well as, the gene expressed ADHD can often be treated
without the use of stimulant medication.
iii. Because there is a wide array of causes for the disorder there is a
wide range of non-medical treatments that can help treat the
symptoms.
Transition: Finding the right treatment options for children with ADHD
is a decision every parent and doctor need to consider before jumping into
the use of stimulant medication.
III. Conclusion
a. Restate thesis: Although the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive
disorder may cause many problems in structured environments, our
society is more concerned about masking the disorder rather than finding
ways to manage the symptoms effectively.
b. Referto audience: Knowing what you know now, would you medicate or
seek alternatives if your future child developed ADHD?
c. Review main points: Stimulants therefore, have been the primary
treatment option with little thought given to other alternatives. However,
the possible long-term side effects stimulants offer may not be worth the
risk for children.
d. Clincher: How would you decide?
References
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Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Individual
Psychology, 57(3), 210.

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