Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Increasing Access to Resources for Better ADHD Management


guest blog by Sam English, PhD, and April Gower

On July 15, 2015, CHADD and Attention Point, LLC, announced a strategic partnership aimed at increasing access to effective ADHD resources to help monitor and manage ongoing ADHD treatment. Attention Point is a leading health IT company committed to improving the diagnosis and management of neurobehavioral health disorders. The company’s product, DefiniPoint, is a suite of online ADHD tools that improves ADHD management by connecting clinicians, professionals, patients, and parents.

Currently in the US there are at least 15 million people affected by ADHD who may benefit from better information and communication. Regular, ongoing communication between those involved in the care and treatment of children or adults with ADHD is a key factor in effective ADHD management. In addition to making educational and clinical resources more readily available, CHADD and Attention Point hope to increase understanding of the importance of ongoing monitoring and communication.

“This strategic alliance is a tremendous opportunity for CHADD and Attention Point to achieve mutual goals of increasing access to much-needed ADHD educational resources for individuals and families,” said Michael MacKay, President of CHADD. “Additionally, this information will benefit ADHD professionals who are on the front lines of treating this burdensome disorder.”

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommend that information be routinely gathered from multiple individuals (e.g., home and school) to inform treatment decisions and to monitor progress.

“Carefully monitoring treatment over time is essential for promoting the healthy development of children with ADHD. Regardless of the type of treatment involved, whether medication, behavioral therapy, or dietary treatment, consistently obtaining feedback is important and can be enormously helpful to optimize a child’s ADHD treatment,” said David Rabiner, PhD, clinical psychologist, research professor, and associate dean at Duke University. “Unfortunately, as suggested by findings from a recent study,  this is infrequently done, and I am encouraged that CHADD and Attention Point will be working together to raise awareness of this important aspect of high quality ADHD treatment.”

“At Attention Point we believe that technology can help clinicians to more easily and accurately conduct ADHD assessments and provide better care for individuals diagnosed with ADHD,” said Sam English, PhD, Founder and CEO of Attention Point. He continued, “By working with CHADD, we believe together we can help the many children and adults that struggle with ADHD to lead better and more productive lives.”


Sam English, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Attention Point, LLC. April Gower is the COO of CHADD.






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