To Help ADHD Kids, Help Mothers

A new study being conducted through Oregon Health & Science University has found that supporting the mother of a child with ADHD helps the whole family function better. Inspiration for the study came from two previous studies which found that the mother is the best "barometer" for measuring how a family is doing.

"'Some of these mothers get so exhausted and have to deal with so much they kind of wear out,' [Judy] Kendall says. And, they get depressed. Kendall's work was partly inspired by a study five years ago, which showed that mothers of ADHD children were at high risk for becoming depressed."

Called "The Parents and Children Together study," it sends nurses into the homes of Portland families that have children with ADHD. The goal of the nurses is to work with the mother, teaching them how to work with their kids and how to manage the chaos, in hopes that their stress level will be reduced and their mental and emotional states improve. Source: Portland Tribune

Doctors Worry Ruling Could Scare Parents

Last week, the American Heart Association released a statement recommending that children with ADHD be given a heart test before they're prescribed any stimulant medication like Ritalin. The statement came after the AHA concluded a study which found that stimulant medication can increase cardiac risks in children with existing conditions.

"Pediatric cardiologist Darshak Sanghavi from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester said he doesn't fully agree with the AHA recommendation... '(With the AHA announcement) people have brought up this worry that ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall increase the risk of heart problems,' he said Thursday in a phone interview."

While Ritalin and Adderall won't cause heart problems, they can aggravate existing heart issues, which is why the AHA released its statement. Source: Sentinel and Enterprise

Learn to Unwrap the Gifts of ADD

Beginning Wednesday, April 16, registration will open for a free teleseminar called "Unwrapping the Gift of ADD." The 8-part seminar takes place via conference calls at the end of April, each lasting about one hour.

"In an effort to bring parents of kids & teens with ADD/ADHD, and adults with ADD/ADHD the best ways to unwrap the gift of ADD, we've pulled together 8 top ADD/ADHD experts to share with you the best strategies and tactics to do this..."

Traits of ADD/ADHD like impulsivity and inattentiveness have positive aspects that few parents or kids ever hear about. Drs. Edward Hallowell and Kenny Handelman have developed this seminar based on their report "Find the Genius in ADD" as part of their ongoing efforts to eliminate the stigma associated with ADD and ADHD. Source: PR Web

What will your ADD child be doing this summer? Talisman offers summer camps for children with ADHD other special needs.

Kids Should Get a Heart Test First

The American Heart Association has recommended that children get their hearts tested before taking ADHD stimulant medications like Ritalin.

"Research has indicated that stimulants like Ritalin can raise the heart rate and blood pressure. While these side effects are unimportant for most children with ADHD, they can be relevant for those with a heart condition, the American Heart Association said."

The test, an electrocardiogram, is relatively inexpensive and simple, and can detect heart rhythm abnormalities that could be aggravated by some ADHD medications. Source: Reuters

What do you have planned for your ADHD child this summer? Talisman offers summer camps for children with ADHD at locations across the country.

The Creative Energy Behind ADHD

Most parents of children with ADHD want desperately to find a silver lining in the cloud of misbehavior, trouble at school, and relational tension. Adults who had ADHD as children offer some of the best encouragement, especially those who have enjoyed unusual success.

"Ty Pennington [of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition] says the negative messages from school can be overwhelming for a child with ADHD... Ty says his life turned after he started medication in his teens and gained maturity and the freedom to develop his creativity. Now, as a TV host, he gets paid for the kind of behaviors that got him in trouble at school."

Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea also has ADHD and says the struggles he faced as a child helped him endure the criticisms he faced when he wanted to start his own business. What started in a modest storefront grew to 1,200 stores and was acquired in 2004 by FedEx. Source: American Psychological Association

Experts Want Insurance Companies to Pay for Early Treatment for Autism

One of the foremost experts on autism is urging parents to have their babies screened for the disorder as early as possible, and to start treatment in children as young as 14 months.

Autism can be detected before age two, yet the average age of diagnosis is four and a half, according to Dr. Patricia Wright, a specialist at the Hawaii Department of Child and Adolescent Health.

Dr. Wright says that early intervention may be the best hope for autistic children, who now number almost one in 150. Such treatment costs as much as $50,000 a year, because it involves about 25 hours a week of one-on-one or one-on-two teaching. However, Dr. Wright says such intervention offers autistic children the best chance of growing up to become productive adults. Insurance coverage is cost-effective, she says, because "they learn independent skills so they don't need continued lifelong support."

Dr. Wright and other experts are asking government agencies and insurance companies to pay for treatment in young children, though outcome-based evidence is scant at this time. However, researchers at the University of Washington are currently studying whether early intervention can prevent the disorder in siblings of children with autism. Their results may determine the fate of early intervention programs.

Looking for a summer program for your autistic child? Located in upstate New York, Camp Huntington offers summer programs for children with special needs, including autism and Asperger's.

Working Memory

Researchers have estimated that up to 10 percent of British school children have poor working memory. It's a condition that appears to be closely tied with ADHD and affects a child's ability to retain information, process, and learn.

"[Dr. Mel] Levine said working memory allows a reader to remember what is at the beginning of the page when reaching the end of the page. Children with trouble with active working memory get lost in the middle. 'One little girl told me recently, "Every time I read a sentence it erases the one that was before it,"' Levine said in a telephone interview. 'That's a perfect example of an active working memory dysfunction.'"

Working memory dysfunction can become a serious problem when a child enters middle school - where demands increase significantly. It's possible that working memory can be improved through memory training, though actual results aren't currently known. Source: The Mercury