Best Practice in Diagnosis and Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Research and Guidelines

Abstract

In 1999, Australian Early Intervention Network (AusEinet) identified a need to develop published guidelines for early intervention for young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and commissioned a panel for the task. The multidisciplinary panel was chaired by Professor Philip Hazell and comprised members1 who represented child psychiatry, developmental paediatrics, early childhood development, early childhood special education, early childhood nursing, child and youth mental health, and consumers (parents/carers).

This report summarises the guidelines developed by this panel, which are expected to serve to inform professionals, including early childhood practitioners, about current evidence for the safety and efficacy of early intervention in ADHD. Early intervention was defined as interventions targeting infants, toddlers, preschool, and kindergarten aged children who were diagnosed as having, or were at risk of developing, ADHD.

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