Written by a clinical researcher who has evaluated and treated over 10,000 patients with ADHD, this volume provides a foundation for translating the complex scientific literature on ADHD into a model for community-based care. Drawing from molecular genetics, neuroimaging, and neurophysiology, award-winning clinical researcher Vincent J. Monastra guides practitioners through the steps of a comprehensive evaluation that includes medical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological, behavioral, and functional assessments. The multi-modal treatment plan detailed in these chapters can be implemented in the context of individual or group practices. Following a detailed review of core symptoms, comorbidities, and areas of functional impairment, Monastra reviews the neuroscience of ADHD, emphasizing recent developments in neuroimaging and quantitative electroencephalography. He translates neuroscience findings into a workable reality that practitioners can use to understand the day-to-day struggle of patients with ADHD and to guide treatment planning. The multiple medical conditions that can mimic the effects of ADHD are discussed, and the frequently overlooked roles of inadequate dietary, sleep and exercise patterns are examined. Detailed chapters describe pharmacological and educational interventions as well as strategies for conducting outpatient parenting and social-skills programs. In addition, the author reviews psychological therapies (including EEG biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapies) that are proving useful for this challenging population.
Vincent J. Monastra, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and director of the FPI Attention Disorders Clinic in Endicott, New York. He is also an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University.
During the past 3 decades, he has conducted a series of studies involving over 10,000 individuals with disorders of attention and behavioral control, resulting in the publication of numerous scientific articles, a book chapter, and the award-winning book Parenting Children With ADHD: 10 Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach (American Psychological Association [APA], 2004). His skills as a master diagnostician and therapist have been recognized and are archived in several educational videotaped programs, including Working With Children With ADHD (APA, 2005). His research examining the neurophysiological characteristics of children and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as his treatment studies investigating the role of parenting style, school intervention, nutrition, and electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback in the overall care of patients with ADHD, is internationally recognized and has led to several scientific awards, including the President's Award and the Hans Berger Award, bestowed by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback for his groundbreaking research. He is listed among the innovative researchers recognized in Reader's Digest's 2004 edition of Medical Breakthroughs.
