Virtual CME/NCPD
Understanding ADHD: Causes, Brain Function, and Executive Skills
Objectives:
1. Apply a frontal-systems framework to connect common ADHD symptoms, including inattention, impulsivity, emotional lability, low motivation, and poor follow-through, with the dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and medial frontal/anterior cingulate circuits within Luria’s three functional units. Use this framework to distinguish executive dysfunction from willful defiance.
2. Interpret a case-based neuropsychological profile by identifying cognitive patterns associated with ADHD, such as weaknesses in working memory, processing speed, language fluency, and emotional maturity. Differentiate ADHD from co-occurring or similar conditions, including anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.
3. Recommend and coordinate evidence-based interventions tailored to a child’s executive-function needs, including time-management tools, structured homework breaks, emotion-regulation strategies, and consistent routines and consequences. Explain how medication, behavioral therapy, and collaboration among families, schools, and healthcare professionals can improve outcomes and reduce the risk of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
Audience:
Family Practice, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pediatricians, Physician Assistants, Residents
