ADHD Medication Improves Grades

A new study has proven that ADHD medication has long-term academic benefits for children diagnosed with the condition. The study was conducted by a team from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and appears in the September edition of the Journal of Development & Behavioral Pediatrics.

"The Mayo team found that treatment with prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin, was associated with improved long-term academic success of children with ADHD... By age 13, those taking medication had improved reading scores compared with children with ADHD who didn’t receive the drugs, the researchers found."

The children who took medication also had better attendance and were less likely to be held back.

White Noise Helps Kids with ADHD

A study to be published in the October issue of Psychological Review has shattered one of the more common myths associated with ADHD - that background noise interferes with an ADHD child's ability to concentrate or learn.

"Both concentration and memory improved in school children with ADHD when white-noise recordings were played as they worked, according to Swedish researchers from Stockholm and Lund universities."

The noise is believed to affect the child's dopamine levels, which affect concentration. In children with ADHD, dopamine levels are low, and the background noise helps raise them. The study's authors believe this information will help teachers create better learning environments for children with ADHD.

Study Planned for Heart Risks Associated with ADHD Medication

In the largest study of its kind ever to be conducted, researchers will be looking into possible correlations between ADHD medication and cardiovascular risks. Supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers will study the clinical data of about 500,000 people (adults and children) who have treated ADHD with medication.

"Because medications used to treat ADHD can increase heart rate and blood pressure, there are concerns about the drugs' potential to increase cardiac risks. It is also thought these risks may be different for adults and children, but more evidence is needed about the long-term effects of using ADHD medications."

The study will be coordinated by Vanderbilt University and will analyze the effects of every drug that is currently used to treat ADHD. Completion of the study is expected to take two years.

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Link Shown Between ADHD and Food Colorings and Additives

Suspicions have loomed for years about a possible link between ADHD and artificial food colors and additives. But now, a research team from Great Britain has scientific proof that such a link exists.

"For the study the researchers distributed drinks for a six week period, containing preservatives and colors similar to those mixed in common commercial drinks to a group of 153 three-year-old children and 144 eight- and nine year-olds who had been selected at random."

Children were given either a drink with the food colors and additives or a placebo. Teachers and parents were then asked to evaluate their behavior. The children who were given the given the drinks with food coloring and additives were found be more hyperactive and had shorter attention spans.

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Information about Strattera for ADHD

Strattera was first introduced in 2003 as an ADHD medication. It acts, not as a stimulant, but an inhibitor that prevents the "re-uptake" or re-absorption of a chemical which is thought to aid with impulse control, organization and attention.

"Do not take Strattera with any other medications, even over-the-counter medications! You must talk with your doctor first! Talk to the Pharmacist too. Our reports indicate that there may be serious problems taking anti-depressants with Strattera. In fact, our reports indicate that there can be serious problems taking even Benadryl with Strattera."

It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for Strattera to work well. That's much slower than stimulants, which work in about 20 minutes. Clinical trials have shown Strattera to work well in reducing symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention.

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OCD in Kids Often Stays Hidden for Years and Years

More teachers and school administrators should familiarize themselves with Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an anxiety-causing disease that affects between 1% and 2% of all children.

Dr. Kathleen Rupertus, a specialist in OCD, spoke before the OCD National Conference this week in Dallas, Texas. She said that the disease is often not diagnosed until adulthood. Persons with the disorder often wash their hands hundreds of times a day, chant to themselves, count things, and otherwise engage in repetitive behaviors. Unless a parent informs his child's teacher about the condition, it usually goes undetected and causes the child undue suffering. For example, children with OCD may constantly rearrange their pens or do their homework thirty times over. They usually have trouble making friends.

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Contest Raises ADHD Awareness

The U.S. Senate recently declared September 19th as National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day. In recognition of this day, the director of ADDClasses.com is holding an ADHD Awareness contest.

"The purpose of the contest is for those affected by Attention Deficit Disorder to come up with creative ideas on how to create and promote ADHD Awareness. Those coming up with the most creative ADHD Awareness ideas will receive prizes."

The contest runs through September 30th and is open to members of ADHDAwareness.org. Prizes will include books, DVDs and club memberships - all ADHD related.

Prevalence far Exceeds Treatment

Colleagues at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who studies over 3,000 children found that the number of children who exhibits signs of ADHD far exceeds the number that are being treated.

"Based on standard diagnostic criteria, 8.7 percent of the children fulfilled criteria for ADHD in the year prior to the survey... Among children meeting criteria for ADHD, 39 percent had received some medication treatment and 32 percent were treated consistently with ADHD medications during the previous year."

Additionally, less than half of the children who met the ADHD criteria had been previously diagnosed. Read more at News-Medical.net.

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A Parent's View on ADHD

In increasing numbers, people are beginning to questions the validity of ADHD diagnoses, especially in younger children. Many of these critics think the kids are simply undisciplined and the parents lazy. But a parent in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was quick to speak against these kinds of misinformed judgments.

"My girls are 11 and 10 and for 10 years it was a literal war from the time I got up in the morning until they finally fell asleep at night... They even started to hate themselves and ask me why they weren't like other kids."

After her girls were diagnosed with ADHD, they began both counseling and medication, which have gotten them back on track both at school and at home.

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The Gift of ADHD

Most parents (and kids) wouldn't consider ADHD a gift. But authors Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. John Ratey and Lara Honos-Webb have written books that label ADHD as exactly that - a gift that carries often unconsidered and untapped assets.

"Chief among the potential assets is creativity. A mind that flits easily from one thought to the next may not be good at mastering the material for a biology test, but the authors contend that a nonlinear mind can excel at combining ideas in new ways. 'While the A students are learning the details of photosynthesis, the ADHD kids are staring out the window and wondering if it still works on a cloudy day,' says Honos-Webb, a psychologist at Santa Clara University."

Such "out of the box" thinking is what drives innovation and creativity; traits found among many artists and CEO's. ADHD can be either a gift or a curse, depending on how it's managed. Read more online.

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British Study Links Hyperactivity To Food Colorings, Additives

A study of 300 British children found that consuming food additives and colorings increased their hyperactivity, regardless of whether they had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder.

Professor Jim Stevenson observed significant differences in behaviors after groups of three-year-olds and groups of seven and eight-year-olds drank beverages containing carmoisine, tartrazine, ponceau 4R, sodium benzoate, sunset yellow coloring and other common colorings.

This study from the University of Southampton adds to the controversy about food additives and hyperactivity. Many parents of hyperactive children and children with disorders such as Asperger Syndrome believe that eliminating such additives helps their children. Nevertheless, double-bind studies have disproved their anecdotal evidence.

"This is a well-designed and potentially very important study," said Dr. Sue Baic, a dietician at the University of Bristol. "Feeding children diets largely consisting of heavily processed foods, which may also be high in fat, salt and sugar, is not optimal for their health. This study appears in the British medical journal, Lancet.

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Tips for Vyvanse

Vyvanse, one of the newest ADHD treatment drugs, has been on the market since July, 2007. To date, the feedback has been excellent. Dr. Charles Parker offers some tips for parents, children and/or patients considering Vyvanse to treat ADHD.

"Always start at the lower dose: 30mg which roughly equals Adderall XR 10mg. They may be on higher doses, even 40 mg of the Adderall XR, but always go low and slow. It’s more efficacious [effective], and if you start at 50mg which roughly equals 20mg Adderall XR, it can give them an unpleasant feeling."

Because Vyvanse is a slow-release medication, taking another dose later in the day shouldn't be necessary. Dr. Parker also advises that the body tolerates psych meds better if accompanied by a protein breakfast. Read more at CorePsychBlog.com.

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Children Who Watch Too Much TV Have Problems Paying Attention

A New Zealand longitudinal study of 1000 children found that watching more television than average was linked to inability to pay attention.

Dr. Robert Hancox and his colleagues at the University of Otago had parents and older children keep track of how much television a child watched at ages three, five, eleven, thirteen and fifteen. The average amount was two hours per day for younger children, and three hours for teenagers. Children who watched more than those amounts tended to have problems focusing and paying attention.

Dr. Hancox and others theorize that television watching may influence brain development. Another explanation might be that the fast pace of television shows makes reality boring for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no more than two hours per day, and that children under age two years watch no television at all.

This study appears in the September 2007 issue of Pediatrics magazine.

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ADHD Forty Years Ago

Today, much is known about ADHD and a diagnosis can be made with relative ease. But that was not the case forty years ago when this mother of six struggled to understand why her son's behavior was so difficult to manage.

"I could go on with how we handled the situation for the next 11 years. I have lots of stories and methods I used to handle different situations. I think I just want to say that situations are different and the same in so many ways. We have to find our way with whatever tools we have at hand and use our common sense and instinct and then just follow through."

Today, her son has his Masters Degree and National Teaching Certificate and has taught at the same middle school for 17 years. He is "a hard worker, kind, considerate, has a lot of good friends, hobbies and is very stable."

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Simple Routines

ADHD symptoms are appearing in younger and younger aged children. It is estimated that between one and four percent of preschoolers may have ADHD. Since ADHD medication hasn't been formally approved for very young children, most parents turn to various forms of behavior therapy.

"New research suggests simple techniques that give more structure to a preschooler's day can offer a nondrug alternative to help the tiniest sufferers of ADHD."

Some tips include finding very structured preschools, praising good behavior, and using "transitional systems" like a timer or bell to help children prepare for activity transitions.

Treatments for Kids with ADHD Work, but Need Monitoring

A new study from the National Institute of Health suggests that treatments for Attention Deficit Disorder can help youngsters, but doctors need to monitor them from time to time.

Researchers assigned 600 children ages 6 to 9 years randomly to one of four treatment groups. The first group received medications from ADHD specialists. The second received medications and behavioral therapy. The third group received drugs from their family doctors, and finally the last group received only therapy. After fourteen months, the first two groups improved the most. However, three years later, all four groups showed similar improvements and the advantages of medications waned.

"Many kids do better over time," said Peter Jensen, director of Columbia University's Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health. "They should start drugs and stop as needed."

This study appears in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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Vision Trouble and ADHD

Vision problems that go undetected and untreated can cause children to display ADHD-like symptoms. Due to the similarities, some children are being diagnosed with ADHD when - in reality - it's their eyes that are causing the trouble.

"A recent study by researchers at the Children's Eye Center, University of San Diego, uncovered a relationship between a common vision disorder, convergence insufficiency, and ADHD. The study 'showed that children with convergence insufficiency are three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children without the disorder.'"

The new research supports existing opinions that vision problems are often found in children with learning disabilities. Parents are encouraged to have their children's eyesight tested if they're struggling in school. Read more at Canada.com.

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Take Proactive Steps before Medication

Children with attention issues can be frustrating. Psychotherapist Pamela Sorensen readily acknowledges the difficulties that parents of inattentive children face. At the same time, she urges parents to try some "home remedies" before turning to ADHD medication.

"'Every family's routine and rhythm are different,' says Sorensen. 'Some families have bath in the evening, some in the morning. What matters is that it happens in the context of a familiar rhythmic routine of family life.' Sorensen says this predictability relaxes children..."

Sorensen also suggests letting even small children make some basic decisions, like what clothes he'll wear or what he'll have for breakfast. Read more at ReadTheHook.com.

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