Medical Community on ADHD

Dr. Atilla Turgay

Atilla Turgay MD, FRCPC

Dr. Atilla Turgay is an internationally renowned child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist specializing in the field of ADHD and disorders commonly associated with ADHD. He is currently the Director of the Toronto ADHD Clinic and a full professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

ADHD Treatment — Helping to Stay on Track
Authored by Dr. Turgay

As a parent of a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), you probably know that the symptoms associated with ADHD do not just present themselves during school hours. After all, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a year-round condition and not just a seasonal challenge that only needs to be addressed during school hours.

As a condition that affects children, ADHD often requires medication. And, for any medication to work effectively, it should be taken as prescribed. But because some parents see administering ADHD treatment during school hours as the priority they might feel compelled to give their children with ADHD “drug breaks” or “drug holidays” when their children are not in school. While it makes sense that during school hours, children with ADHD benefit from medication that helps them manage the challenges of ADHD in a classroom setting, taking “drug breaks” whether during the summer holidays, or even on weekends may not be the best idea.

In fact, the benefits and risks of such “drug holidays” remains unproven and are not generally recommended when the child is involved in social activities such as summer camp. According to Canadian ADHD Practice Guidelines, giving medication continuously through weekends and holidays may enable the child to better control behaviour and improve socialization and self-esteem.

Giving your child the prescribed ADHD treatment will help your child to better manage all those hours outside of the classroom — the hectic morning rush as well as suppertime and early evening. Life has continuous opportunities for learning and developing, outside and away from the classroom environment. The World Federation for Mental Health’s international Without Boundaries survey found that parents reported they found it difficult to go places with their child (43%); experienced difficulties finding a baby sitter (46%); felt uncomfortable inviting friends and family to their home because of their child’s symptoms (32%) and that their child frequently caused trouble with others in their neighborhood (37%).

Discontinuing medication for any period of time, and then starting again is not recommended. For many parents of children with ADHD, often getting through those unstructured periods outside of school without medication — from weekends to summer holidays — may be even more challenging when trying to meet the challenges of ADHD symptoms.

Talking With Your Doctor Can Help

Parents should talk with their doctor about those symptoms that interfere beyond school hours and how the child's ADHD affects the whole family. In fact, most parents can benefit from more information that can help them to better care for their child with ADHD.