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Attention Deficit problems have been at an all time rise. However, the good news is, this condition starts to improve if their first treatment revolves around behavioral conditioning such as basic social skills. This is way more effective than going on medication, says new study. It is also cheaper to give your child behavioral therapy, according to analysts.

As per the latest research, published in Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, it is thought to be a first such study of its kind that evaluates the effect of modifying the treatment in the middle of the course, for instance, adding behavior therapy to medication or vice versa. "We showed that the sequence in which you give treatments makes a big difference in outcomes," said William E. Pelham of Florida International University, a leader of the study with Susan Murphy of the University of Michigan. "The children who started with behavioral modification were doing significantly better than those who began with medication by the end, no matter what treatment combination they ended up with," reports New York Times

For the purpose of the study, 146 students were enrolled who were suffering from ADHD, aged between 5 and 12. They were randomly assigned on low dose of Ritalin and the other half was given no medication at all. However, their parents were made to attend group meetings so that they could also learn behavior modification techniques. The researchers made the children's teachers and their parents to rate their behaviors, including disciplinary issues.

After two months, the study that has been going on for a year took an inventive turn. If there was no improvement in the child, they were randomly assigned to one of the two courses, either a more intensive behavioral treatment or an additional dose of medication. About 45% children who were on medication needed a booster and two-third of children that started with behavior therapy, as reported by Seattle Times