Social interactions are often hard for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as many ADHD kids are either too shy or too aggressive. But there are some simple steps parents can take to help their ADHD child learn certain skills that will make developing friendships much easier.

"Teach your child how to make friends by making and keeping friends yourself.... have a friendly home and invite people over often. Be hospitable to other children, especially children with interests similar to your child's...."

Teach your child how to recognize and respond to non-verbal communication, and how to engage in small talk. Though these skills don't come naturally to children with ADHD, they can be learned - and your child's social experiences will be much more rewarding as a result. Source: LifeWithADHD website

If your daughter could benefit from improved social skills, a private boarding school might help.

Labels: social_skills, shy

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In a Jan. 7 article on the Huffington Post website, ADHD expert Steven M.S. Kurtz, Ph. D., sounded the alarm about the potential damage to children and society if health care reform rollbacks impede or impair the ability of ADHD patients to get the medical treatment they need:

Teenagers and young adults with untreated ADHD are often plagued with impulsivity, failure to think through the consequences of their decisions, an inability to finish what they start and poor judgment.

The statistics show that they are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, more likely to get addicted, more likely to have early (and unprotected) sex, as well as being more likely to be expelled from school. And Dan's car accident? That was no exception either -- people with ADHD are also more likely to get into accidents, and more likely to be seriously injured. ...

What these people brooding over the cost of health care don't seem to realize is that not providing care is already costing us. By not offering adequate treatment to the nation's children, even if we don't know it, we are already paying -- in addition to the price the kids are paying.

Decades of research have shown us that kids with untreated ADHD -- not to speak of anxiety, depression and other very treatable conditions -- struggle just to become productive citizens. These kids have a harder time holding jobs, staying married, raising children and even keeping out of jail. As long as we continue to deprive our youth of the mental health care they need, we are sabotaging our own future as well as theirs.

We need their talents and ingenuity and intelligence; we need them to step up and become our nation's entrepreneurs, engineers and political leaders.

Labels: treatment

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Research conducted at Britain's University of Nottingham appears to indicate that children with ADHD have an impaired ability to turn off a "daydreaming switch" in their brain. This "daydreaming" function is designed to help the brain pass time when not focused on a particular task -- but the inability to turn this feature off can create significant difficulties when the time comes to take on a tast that demands complete attention.

Richard Alleyne, the science correspondent for The Telegraph, described this research:

Using a video game, researchers compared brain scans of eighteen children with ADHD, aged between nine and 15 years old, against scans of a similar group of children without the condition.

The children with ADHD were tested when they were taking their methylphenidate and when they were off their medication.

By studying the brain scans, the researchers were able to show that typically developing children switched off their DMN network whenever they saw an item requiring their attention.

However, unless the incentive was high, or they had taken their medication, the children with ADHD would fail to switch off the DMN and would perform poorly.

Dr Martin Batty, co-author of the study, said: "Using brain imaging, we have been able to see inside the children's heads and observe what it is about ADHD that is stopping them concentrating.

The team's findings were published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Labels: brain_activity, health, brain_chemistry

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment

A Jan. 3 article on the Daily Health Report website indicates that physicians are ignoring warnings about over-prescribing Ritalin to children with ADHD:

Although many experts have warned about the dangers of children using stimulant drugs like Ritalin frequently, doctors continue prescribing these drugs at an alarming rate.

In 2008, the national average of Ritalin prescriptions for children with Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD) was about 40 percent. However, that figure has since grown to more than 80 percent.

Evident during a study in  a St. Mary’s Hospital, 446 of the 529 cases of ADHD were treated using some kind of stimulant drug.

While stimulant drugs have long been known to help children with ADHD alleviate symptoms, new studies have shown the opposite effects.

Labels: ritalin, stimulants

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According to Dec. 29 article on the website Medscape Today, a study of more than 500 children has revealed significant deficiencies in Medicaid-funded treatment for children with ADHD.

Writer Deborah Brauser described the situation:

Investigators evaluated data on 530 children between the ages of 5 and 11 years (mean age, 9.9 years; 68% boys; 54% Latino, 23% black, 13% white, 10% from more than 1 ethnic background) diagnosed with ADHD. ...

Results showed that 34% of all participants received no care of any type during the 6 months before the baseline interview, and 44% received no care between the 6- and 12-month follow-up time points. Among those in the primary care group only, 52% received no care between the 2 follow-up times.

"That there were only 1 to 2 follow-up visits a year by the children in primary care is a concern because those receiving stimulant medication require more frequent monitoring," explained [lead author] Dr. Zima. "We also anticipated higher rates of stimulant use in the mental health clinics."

Instead, "the rates of stimulant medication treatment in primary care clinics was consistently at least 2.8 times greater than that found in specialty mental health programs over the 3 time intervals," the authors write. ...

"Care for childhood ADHD in the [studied] Medicaid program failed to meet the Institute of Medicine's definition of quality that requires 'consistency with current professional knowledge' and 'improved likelihood of destined health outcomes,' " the authors write.

Labels: treatment

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Labels: adult_ADHD

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According to a report by Denise Dador of southern California's KABC Channel 7, experts estimate that as many as a million children with vision problems have been wrongly diagnosed as having ADHD.

However, other experts have cast doubt on those estimates:

"One of the questions that we ask parents is to decide whether it's an organic attention problem or maybe more related to a vision problem," said Daniel Press, O.D., a development optometrist at Family Eyecare Associates. ...

Vision experts say 60 percent of kids labeled as problem learners actually suffer from undetected vision problems.

But some have doubts. The American Academy of Pediatrics says vision therapy may give parents and teachers a false sense of security that a child's problems are being addressed.

Labels: visual_skills

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment

According to a Nov. 30 article by Andrea Hahn of The Saluki Times, an associate professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is focusing on farmers' families as she studies the connection between ADHD and dyslexia in children:

Earlier research found that about 20-40 percent of children with ADHD also show signs of dyslexia, and vice versa. That percentage is higher than would be expected by chance, [Professor Michelle] Kibby said, and through her research she investigates the reasons why a child would have both conditions. ...

Children in the study come to Kibby’s on-campus testing site for a full day of non-medical tests administered by graduate students who assist Kibby in her research.

These tests measure various thinking skills such as executive functioning, reading, intelligence, attention, memory, language, and visual processing, along with motor skills such as fine motor, coordination, and visual-motor skills. In addition to the testing, children also complete an MRI scan, which she and her students will use to study the frontal lobe.

Kibby, who also is a child-clinical neuropsychologist, is qualified to diagnose ADHD and dyslexia. Children do not need a prior diagnosis of either dyslexia or ADHD to participate in the study, she said. Kibby is also looking for typically developing children as a comparison group.

Labels: research

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A Grand Rapids, Michigan, theater recently staged an innovative play about ADHD.

"Distracted," which premiered off-Broadway in 2009, is told from the perspective of the mother of an ADHD child -- and the staging was designed to draw the audience into the "distractions" that often accompany life with ADHD:

“Part of the play is to immerse the audience in the experience of feeling distracted, so we’ll have lots of media popping up on the screen,” [director Fred] Sebulske said. “But you have to find a balance between getting the audience’s attention and distracting them at the same time.”

Written by Lisa Loomer and presented off-Broadway in 2009, “Distracted” is the story of a family whose 9-year-old son is acting out, refuses to go to bed at night and is disruptive at school.

“Every parent deals with this to some extent, but this is to the point where they think there may be a real problem,” Sebulske said.

The parents are inundated with solutions from teachers, therapists and friends ranging from pills to diet, biofeedback and homeopathic treatments.

“It’s told from the point of view of the mother,” Sebulske said. “She knows the audience is there and uses them as a sounding board. She always has someone to talk to.” (Source: MILive.com)

Sebulske told the Grand Rapids Press that he invited a counselor and a therapist who work wiht many ADHD individuals to attend rehearsals, answer questions from cast members, and ensure that the presentation was not demeaning to those with ADHD and their families.

Labels: awareness, families, mothers

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In a letter to the syndicated health advice columnist Dr. Peter H. Gott, a cosmetic dentist advanced the theory that many children with ADHD are actually suffering from upper airway obstructions -- and that surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids can clear the obstruction and cure the ADHD.

Dr. Gott was not shy in expressing his opposition to this concept:

I believe it is not only unethical, but it is irresponsible to be telling everyone that surgery can cure ADHD. Not all children who have ADHD have a breathing/sleeping disorder. Not all children with both conditions will experience a cure or even improvement from either or both following surgery.

I am not discounting the fact that sleeping and breathing issues are much more common in children with ADHD and vice versa, but I am saying it is too early in the game to be saying this one solution is the end all as far as treatment options are concerned.

Though a study at the University of Michigan appears to show some support for the surgical option, Dr. Gott emphasized that one small study with less-than-decisive results is hardly the foundation upon which to base a wide-ranging recommendation.

"In the end, while some children did improve following surgery, this was a very small test," Dr. Gott wrote. "It also shows that not all children will improve after having surgery (though most did show improvement in their sleeping disorders)."

Labels: dangers, health

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