ay if they carefully watch the child's height, weight, and overall development, the benefits of medication far outweigh the potential side effects. Side effects that do occur can often be handled by reducing the dosage. However, doctors recommend that patients be taken off a medication now and then to see if it is still necessary. They recommend temporarily stopping the drug during school breaks and vacations, when focused attention and calm behavior are usually not as crucial; this precaution is referred to as a "drug holiday." Drug therapy is a highly effective means of treating disorders, including ADD. For those not comfortable with drug therapy there are other means of treating ADD, such as behavior therapy. This is especially effective for children. For example, children with ADD need structure and routine. They should be helped to make schedules and break assignments down into small tasks to be performed one at a time. It may be necessary to ask them repeatedly what they have just done, how they might have acted differently, and why others react as they do. Especially when young, these children often respond well to strict application of clear and consistent rules. In school, they may be helped by close monitoring, quiet study areas, short study periods broken by activity ADD 8(including permission to leave the classroom occasionally), and brief directions often repeated. They can be taught how to use flashcards, outlines, and underlining. Timed tests should be avoided as much as possible. Other children in the classroom may show more tolerance if the problem is explained to them in terms they can understand. When combined, drug and behavior therapies can be highly effective when treating Attention Deficit Disorder. Like many disorders, ADD is disruptive and if left untreated it inhibits the proper functioning in society and of one's daily activities. At this time there is no cure for ADD, but much more is now known ...
