Naar passende ondersteuning voor kinderen met aandachts- en gedragsmoeilijkheden
Many children need support for attention and behavioral difficulties, and waiting lists for youth mental health services are long. In her inaugural lecture, Marjolein Luman, professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, argues that many children can receive help sooner, without first having to wait for a diagnostic process in mental health care. Diagnoses can be helpful, but there are also drawbacks, such as stigma.
Treatment guidelines recommend parent or teacher training as a first step, during which techniques are taught to better tailor the child’s environment to their needs. However, these effective treatments are still not being used enough, and children often receive help that we do not know whether it works. To address this, knowledge must be disseminated about the triggers of behavior, including factors at home and at school. In addition, effective interventions must be actively implemented. This will contribute to more appropriate support: first providing assistance through the school or neighborhood team, and only initiating a diagnostic process within mental health services when this proves insufficient.