Kids with Poor Communication Skills More Likely to be Bullied

A new study from researchers in Great Britain found that children with specific language impairment (SLI) are more likely to be bullied.

SLI is a developmental disability affecting about 4-7% of all children. SLI children are of normal intelligence but have a hard time understanding language and communicating their feelings to others. It is more common than autism and typically affects more boys than girls.

Professors Gina Conti-Ramsden and Emma Knox interviewed 139 16-year-olds with SLI and 124 who are considered normal.

"Our investigation showed that young people who experience bullying can often become anxious and depressed in adolescence," Dr. Knox said. "Young people with SLI may lack the necessary communication skills to enable them to report bullying and talk about their experiences, leaving them to suffer in silence."

This study appears in Educational and Child Psychology.

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ADD Drug Use Soars in Baseball

At a congressional meeting Tuesday, Major League Baseball officials and government leaders gathered to discuss doping in baseball. Among the more surprising discoveries was the information that "therapeutic use exemptions" for ADD-related drugs had more than quadrupled in just one year.

"'This demands an explanation. There's something fundamentally wrong [with] them going from 28 [exemptions] to 103,' said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned-substances list. 'If we had this percentage increase in the general population, it would be on the evening news as a national epidemic. It's an outrageous number.'"

The Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) clause allows players to fill prescriptions for medications that are otherwise banned, if approved by both a physician and an independent administrator. Wadler believes the 2006 ban on amphetamines is tied to the TUE increase.

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Kids with Social Phobia Benefit from Therapy

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.

Kids with Social Phobia Benefit from Therapy

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.

New Study Launched by Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Though it's relatively easy to find information on how to treat ADHD, information for making an accurate diagnosis is harder to come by. To that end, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has launched what's being called an "unprecedented" study to find causes and early warning signs of ADHD among pre-school age children.

"ADHD is frequently diagnosed but little is known about the causes, despite all the published research. Today there are no diagnostic criteria for ADHD in children under 6 years of age. The ADHD study intends to address many unanswered questions around the causes of this condition."

What makes the study unique is that researchers have access fetal and early infancy biological information, including blood samples from both parents and the child's umbilical cord. The samples will allow for testing of both genetic and environmental links to ADHD. Read more at MediLexicon.com.

Summer Camp Options Becoming More Exotic

This year's summer camps will offer more travel to more exotic places, more community service, more career-oriented programs, more academics, and more for ages 11 to 14 years, according to a new report from a camp advisory service.

Carey Rivers, director of "Tips on Trips and Camps," reports that programs in 2008 will range from going to India to build schools, career internships on college campuses, learning unusual languages like Arabic in foreign countries, and traveling to places like Madagascar or El Salvador. The camps are designing more such programs for middle school students.

Ms. Rivers said that another trend is "gap year camps." These are yearlong programs for students who have just completed high school and want to take a year off for travel and adventure before entering college.

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Attention Seeking Confused with ADHD

Independent Educational Psychologist Dr. Nigel Mellor issued a mild warning last week that some kids who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD may simply be seeking attention.

"The researcher said there are many behaviors which can be observed during attention seeking interactions. Behaviors commonly associated with ADHD (over activity, poor concentration and impulsivity) can appear within attention seeking behavior."

Dr. Mellor's research on the subject focused in part on 15 schools and last for three years, during which time he determined that it is possible to distinguish between attention seeking and ADHD, which allows children to be treated more specifically and more appropriately.

ADHD and Driving

Among drivers of all ages, teens are at the highest risk of getting into an accident. In fact, auto accidents are the leading cause of death among 16 to 20-year-olds, with 16-year-olds being at greatest risk. The risk factor increases dramatically for teens with ADHD.

"It's important for parents to talk with their teens about how ADHD can impact their driving ability and create risks on the road. Together, develop strategies to help limit distractions, focus attention, and make driving a safe experience."

Consider riding with your teen to allow him or her to practice driving skills. It gives you a chance to assess your child's driving abilities and determine if he or she is ready to drive alone. It's also important, if your teen has been prescribed ADHD medication, that he or she continues taking it unless a doctor has given permission to stop.

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Medication-Free Treatment

Many parents of children with ADHD and other developmental disabilities are looking for treatments that require little or no medication. A program in Beverly, Massachusetts offers that kind of program.

"Goodchild's treatment is based on the theory that simple movements like crawling are critical to a child's brain development, and he believes that recreating those developmental milestones will help heal the brain. 'We can use movement to correct what's been mis-wired,' he said."

Though the method has been around for decades, there's no scientific proof that is actually works. There is however, mounting experiential evidence as parents see dramatic results in their children's behaviors after enrolling them in similar programs.

Cedars Academy schools for learning disabilities understand the needs of children with learning disorders. Their entire program is geared to help kids with ADHD, Aspergers, and NVLD.

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD

Most of the articles in this blog share treatment options and other stories related to ADD/ADHD. But sometimes it's good to go back to the beginning, so we've included an article that gives a general overview of the symptoms you should watch for if you're concerned that your child may have ADD/ADHD.

"Understanding your child's possible ADD/ADHD is imperative to getting along with him or her. The earlier ADD/ADHD is identified in your child, the more time you have to work with and understand your kid."

If your child has the symptoms outlined here, it doesn't necessarily mean that he or she has ADD/ADHD. But he or she should be evaluated by a professional who's qualified to determine whether your child one of these disorders, and to what degree.

Just because your child has ADHD it doesn't mean that they can't go to college. A good college preparatory school, like the Academy at Swift River, prepares high school students for college and beyond.

Faith in a Daughter with ADHD

Shortly after Allison started kindergarten, she was diagnosed with, among other things, Attention Deficit Disorder. Over the years, as her parents have helped her adapt, study, and grow; as they've advocated for her education – they've discovered a myriad of strengths in amongst her few weaknesses.

"She is wonderfully empathetic, the first one to offer soothing words to those who've had their feelings hurt. She's got a great work ethic and has recently taken to snapping on the light and studying after bedtime. She's a gifted athlete who taught herself to bat left-handed when she realized that's how Hideki Matsui of the Yankees bats."

Her parents have also learned that they experience things many other parents do not; guilt, fatigue, sometimes even envy. But one thing they share with parents worldwide is faith in their child and her ability to "do just fine in life".

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Summer Camp Can Improve Structure and Maturity

Many parents of kids with ADHD are hesitant about medication, but don't know if there are any alternatives. One possibility is a summer camp program designed specifically for kids with ADHD.

"Because the summer months, when school lets out, break the structure, pace and expectations of daily living, children with ADHD do not perform well in summer months. Leaving an ADHD child at home, during the summer, can lead to maladaptive behavior and often results in a difficult transition back into the academic setting in the fall. Finding a summer camp that is specifically designed for ADHD children is important to keeping structure in your child's life."

Separation anxiety is not uncommon in ADHD children, particularly if they've never been away from home before. Expect this and be prepared to reassure you child. An appropriately structured summer camp can result in increased emotional and behavioral maturity.

Camp Huntington special needs summer camps offer programs for children with ADHD, Asperger's, and Autism. Find a complete list of summer camps at SummerCampsInfo.com.

Vyvanse Tips

Vyvanse is a new drug intended for treatment of ADD and ADHD. As with any new drug, it can take time to get the dosage just right and learn how it affects your child.

"Always start at the lower dose: 30mg which roughly equals Adderall XR 10mg. They may be on higher doses, even 40mg of the Adderall XR, but always go low and slow. Vyvanse is more efficacious, and if you start at 50mg which roughly equals 20mg Adderall XR, it can bring an unpleasant, intense feeling. Go slowly. The dose equivalents from the studies are often too much in practical use."

Vyvanse is a prodrug which means the delivery system is meant to provide a longer duration of effectiveness. Ideally, it should eliminate the need for an additional dose later in the day.

Iron May Aggravate ADHD

A team of French researchers has discovered a possible link between iron deficiencies and ADHD. Lead researcher Eric Konofal, MD, PhD was curious about iron and its role in ADHD after several other studies found correlations between it and general restlessness and inattentiveness.

"...Konofal and colleagues measured blood levels of the protein ferritin in 53 children with ADHD and 27 children without ADHD but who had a mild reading disability. Ferritin allows the body to store iron and is used as a measure of iron levels. Eighty-four percent of children with ADHD appeared to have abnormally low ferritin levels, compared with 18% of children without ADHD."

Konofal says that, while the link between iron deficiency and ADHD symptoms is clear, it's too soon to recommend that kids with ADHD start taking iron supplements. The reason for the deficiency has yet to be determined.

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Controversial ADHD Ads Pulled

The Child Study Center at New York University has pulled a set of controversial ads intended to raise awareness about childhood mental health issues. The ads featured "ransom notes" addressed to parents indicating that their kids will "pay" if mental health issues aren't addressed.

"An introductory press release from the Child Study Center attempts to explain the goal of the campaign, which is to raise awareness of childhood mental illness and urge treatment as early as possible."

Critics of the campaign have said that it gives the impression that there's a "criminal element" to childhood mental health issues and that kids with these issues are doomed to a life of total dysfunction. Just two weeks after the campaign began, the Child Study Center released a statement of apology and has pulled all related ads.

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Vyvanse Approved for Additional Dosage Strengths

Shire plc, the pharmaceutical company which produces the ADHD medication Vyvanse, announced that it has received approval from the FDA to release the drug in three additional dosage strengths. The existing doses of 30 mg, 50 mg and 70 mg will be supplemented with 20 mg, 40 mg 60 mg doses.

"Dose titration, the process of incrementally increasing or decreasing the dose of a medication, is a widely used method in clinical practice to help achieve optimal efficacy and tolerability for each patient. The option of having dosage strengths with smaller increments allows for a more gradual titration of medication and may help the physician tailor the treatment for each individual patient."

More than 500,000 prescriptions for Vyvanse were dispensed in the first six month the drug was available. The CEO of Shire believes it's an indication that doctors view Vyvanse as an effective treatment option.