ADHD treatment for children and teens can involve more than one type of support. Depending on your child’s age, symptoms, daily challenges, and treatment goals, care may include medication management, therapy and behavioral support, and strategies for home and school.
At Resilience Behavioral Health, we provide ADHD care for children, teens, and young adults in Everett, Washington. Our ADHD providers have different roles and age ranges, so the right starting point depends on whether your child needs medication management, therapy, or further evaluation.
If your child already has an ADHD diagnosis, we can help you understand the treatment options available within our practice. If you are still seeking diagnostic clarification, our ADHD testing for children page explains the evaluation pathway.
Learn more about our child and adolescent psychiatry services.
ADHD treatment is individualized. A plan that works well for a 5-year-old may look different from one designed for a teenager, and treatment may change as school demands, responsibilities, symptoms, and family needs change.
For children younger than 6, current clinical guidance recommends parent training in behavior management as the first treatment approach before medication is tried. Medication may still be considered by a qualified prescriber when clinically appropriate. For children age 6 and older, treatment commonly includes medication together with behavioral treatment, with school supports included as part of the overall plan.
Medication management focuses on whether medication is appropriate and, if so, which option and dose may fit the child’s needs. Follow-up matters because children can respond differently to the same medication and may need changes over time.
Therapy and behavioral support can help children and teens build practical skills for organization, emotional regulation, routines, problem-solving, relationships, and coping with frustration. Behavioral approaches can also help parents use clearer expectations, consistent responses, and positive reinforcement at home.
Home and school support addresses the environments where ADHD often creates day-to-day challenges. Depending on a student’s needs, support may include classroom strategies, organizational help, behavioral interventions, or formal accommodations.
Treatment decisions also consider other health or mental health concerns, previous treatment, family preferences, and how ADHD affects daily functioning. Some children need more support in one area than another. As children grow, the balance among medication, therapy, parent involvement, and school support may change rather than staying fixed.
If ADHD is suspected but your child has not been diagnosed, an evaluation may be useful before deciding what treatment should look like.
Dr. Olivia Dorn, PhD, provides psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for patients ages 5 and older. Learn more about ADHD testing for children in Everett if your family is still seeking diagnostic clarification.
ADHD medications generally fall into two categories: stimulant and non-stimulant medications. Different medications work differently, and not every medication is appropriate or approved for every age group.
A psychiatric prescriber considers age, symptoms, health history, other conditions, previous medication experiences, and treatment goals when discussing options with a family.
Medication management includes follow-up. Prescribers may adjust, or titrate, a dose over time while monitoring symptom response and tolerability. Visits may include discussion of attention, impulsivity, school or home functioning, sleep, appetite, mood, and other possible side effects or concerns.
Medication is one treatment tool. Some children receive it alongside therapy and behavioral support, while others may have a plan that places greater emphasis on non-medication strategies.
Therapy and behavioral approaches focus on building practical skills, strengthening routines, and changing patterns that make ADHD harder to manage day to day.
Depending on the child, therapy may address organization, emotional regulation, frustration tolerance, communication, problem-solving, routines, self-esteem, or concerns that occur alongside ADHD.
For younger children, parents often play a larger role in behavioral treatment. For older children and teenagers, therapy may place more emphasis on self-management, coping skills, planning, and taking greater responsibility for school and daily routines.
Medication is not the only way to support a child with ADHD. Therapy, behavioral strategies, parent involvement, and school support may be used alongside medication or as part of a treatment plan that does not currently include medication.
Parents often want to know what they can do between appointments. ADHD support at home is usually more useful when it focuses on structure, repetition, and skill-building rather than expecting a child to simply “try harder.”
Practical approaches may include:
When parents ask how to discipline a child with ADHD, consistency is often more useful than intensity. ADHD can affect impulse control, attention, working memory, and follow-through, so children may need expectations broken into smaller steps and reinforced repeatedly.
Depending on eligibility and individual needs, school support may include behavioral classroom strategies, organizational help, a Section 504 plan, or an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Younger children may need substantial help with routines, tasks, transitions, and behavior. As school becomes more demanding, organization, time management, and independent work often become more important.
Teen ADHD treatment may shift toward greater self-management. Adolescents can take a larger role in discussing medication effects, managing schedules, planning assignments, using school accommodations, and recognizing when they need help, while parents gradually support greater independence.
Our ADHD providers have different clinical roles and age ranges. Medication management is provided by psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, while therapy is provided separately.
Ages 5 to 21
Jana provides ADHD medication management beginning at age 5 and is the only ADHD prescriber at Resilience Behavioral Health for children younger than 16.
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
Aetna, Cigna, First Choice, GEHA, HMA, Humana, Kaiser, Premera, Regence, Tricare West, TriWest VA CCN, UHC (Optum BH)
Ages 16 and Older
Brittnie provides ADHD medication management for older teens and adults beginning at age 16.
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
Aetna, Premera, cash pay
Ages 5 to 19
Holly provides therapy for children and teens with ADHD. Her approaches include CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and play therapy.
Individual therapy; does not prescribe medication
Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser, Premera, Regence, UHC (Optum BH)
Our office is located at 3927 Colby Ave, Everett, WA 98201, and we serve families in Everett and throughout Snohomish County.
To request ADHD care, call 425-616-3430 or send us an appointment request. Let us know your child’s age, whether you are looking for medication management or therapy, and your insurance plan if you would like coverage considered when identifying a provider.
Because networks and individual benefits can change, contact us before the first appointment to review current insurance information for the provider you are considering.
This page provides general information about our services and is not a substitute for individualized medical or psychological advice. Provider availability, insurance participation, and treatment recommendations vary based on individual circumstances and current practice information.
ADHD For Children
3927 Colby Ave, Everett, WA 98201
