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LISA CLARK: Welcome to our webcast. I'm Lisa Clark.
It's important for parents of children with ADHD to carefully and consistently monitor their child's treatment. During the school year, the best way to do this is to stay in close communication with the child's pediatrician or psychiatrist.
And joining me to discuss these important communication issues is Dr. Peter Jensen, Ruane Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. Welcome Dr. Jensen.
How important is this relationship between the pediatrician or child psychiatrist and the parent in treating the child during the school year?
PETER JENSEN, MD: It's absolutely essential. They have to kind of be on the same sheet of music. The parent and the doctor have to communicate frequently about the kinds of symptoms the child's experiencing. And the doctor needs that information if he or she is going to be able to adjust the medicines and put the other treatments into place.
Parents need to feel like they're understood, and the doctors are kind of in their camp, if you will. Batting for them and batting for the child.
LISA CLARK: How does that role change during the school year, when the child is away from the parent and from the home for so much more of the time?
PETER JENSEN, MD: Well, the partnership is still very much needed, but it becomes critical during that time that the parent have very effective, good communications with the school. But the doctor also needs good communications with the school, and there's increasing responsibility to make sure that the doctor and the teachers in school are also communicating directly.
LISA CLARK: How can parents make sure there's effective communication between their doctor and their child's teacher?
PETER JENSEN, MD: Well, sometimes they can assist the doctor and the teacher to come together and share information. So, for example, the doctor might have a checklist or a set of information that he or she would like to get about the child. And the parent could deliver that to the teacher and fill out their part. Give it to the teacher, get it from the teacher and return it to the doctor. And so just solving those little problems by hand delivery and hand pick-up can sometimes be very useful.
Sometimes if the doctor and the teacher aren't able to communicate, the parent might talk directly for the - with the teacher before the doctor's visit and then share that information that they've learned directly on recent feedback from the teacher with the doctor. These are all strategies.
LISA CLARK: Doctor, what should you do if your child's teacher seems resistant to using this cooperative approach, or is reluctant to share information?
PETER JENSEN, MD: The teachers generally are cooperative, because they have the best interests of the child's learning abilities at heart and in mind. And so they're very pleased if the child can become a more effective learner. So by and large, that's the case.
There are some instances, however, where the teacher may be less aware of the problems of the child with ADHD may have. May not understand or fully even believe in the diagnosis or have feelings and attitudes about the various treatments. Sometimes an uninformed teacher might assume it's the parents' fault. And these can cause real problems.
Now, when that happens, some of the things a parent can do is to share information. Perhaps a pamphlet or a brochure with the teacher. Sometimes it's important to have a quiet consultation with the lead teacher or maybe the principal, to see if there's some other way that the problems can be addressed. Sometimes the doctor can call the teacher.
LISA CLARK: What sort of information are you looking for from parents?
PETER JENSEN, MD: Well, several things parents need to be aware of. First, they have to know how the child's doing on in-seat assignments, playground behavior, getting along with other children. Is he or she liked, do they have good friends?
But in addition, how's the child doing with homework kinds of behavior? Some of the behaviors that often take place later in the day. Getting along with siblings, minding the parents. These are all important things for the parent to communicate to the doctor.
LISA CLARK: Do you think that more frequent visits are a good idea?
PETER JENSEN, MD: More frequent visits are a very good idea. During the school year, because of the child's difficulties adjusting to the various demands of school -- he may show problems in one area or another. And the doctor has to adjust his or her treatments. Whether it be the medicine or the therapy.
Seeing the child only every six months is really not sufficient. And we think that when you see the child monthly -- or relatively often -- actually children's outcomes are much better, because the doctor's really right on top of what needs to be done on a regular basis.
LISA CLARK: Should parents request more parent-teacher conferences in this case?
PETER JENSEN, MD: I think it's an excellent idea. If not an in-face parent-teacher conference, then certainly phone follow-up. Because the teacher may be too busy to report moderate problems when she's dealing with severe problems. And so if the child is having moderate problems, and the parent wants to be on top of that -- to let the doctor know and to work with the child -- they have to be in direct communication themselves with the teacher.
LISA CLARK: Finally, doctor, if you had one message about the importance of the parent-pediatrician partnership, what would that be?
PETER JENSEN, MD: Parents need to remember they're part of a team. They have to feel they're a part of a team. They have to assert their rights as a good team member. And the doctor's not the team captain, they're the doctor's a team player. And so should the parent be. And that means they really have to work and cooperate together.
If you have concerns, questions, you have to share them with your doctor. If you have misgivings about the treatment, you're on the team, don't just stop the treatment, discuss with the other team member. And work together. And that's really the right way to do it.
If you have trouble getting a doctor to be a teammate -- a team member, sometimes that even happens, you need to find another doctor.
LISA CLARK: Dr. Jensen, very good advice. Thank you so much. And thank you for joining us for this webcast. I'm Lisa Clark.
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