Childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Family therapy from an attachment based perspective

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a common presenting problem in the mental health profession, occurs in about five percent of children and has a high heritability factor. It is, therefore, common for clients with ADHD to have another family member also diagnosed with ADHD and/or display typical ADHD behaviors. ADHD is often correlated with emotion regulation difficulties and problematic family functioning. One way to address emotion regulation problems and problematic family functioning is through attachment-based interventions. Among research supported therapeutic interventions for children with ADHD, few, if any, treatment practices include overtly addressing attachment in treatment. Treating child ADHD through attachment in family therapy may be beneficial in reducing common behavioral problems that accompany ADHD (i.e., hyperactivity, inattentiveness, impulsivity, etc.). We suggest a Family Therapy Attachment Based (FTAB) therapeutic module (this module has yet to be empirically supported) to implement alongside common evidence-based treatment for treating child ADHD.