Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be difficult to parent. And the challenges that they pose can leave parents feeling ineffective at best - and, at worst, like they're failing. Dr. Anthony Kane, from the Complete Connection Parenting Program, offers some encouragement:

"[Understand that] no child comes into the world completely blank. [They] come with certain personality traits, certain problems, certain skills, certain abilities...ADHD children are much more difficult to raise than the normal, average child...It is not a reflection of your skills [as a parent]..."

Dr. Kane goes on to suggest that if you're learning how to parent based on your child's personality and individual needs, you're fulfilling your role as parent - no matter what anyone else says, and no matter how you may feel at the time. Source: Blip.tv

Labels: parenting, supplements

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Medication is expensive. And drugs that are designed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are no exception. When faced with the high cost of prescription medication, many people chose generic versions over name-brand pills. But are the generic drugs really as effective as the name-brand varieties?

"Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), generic drugs contain the same active ingredients, dosage and quality as their brand-name counterparts. The only difference between are the name... shape and color of the drug... and price."

Because generic drug manufacturers don't have to recover millions of dollars spent on research and development, they can offer the same drug at a much lower price. However, not all name-brand prescriptions have a generic counterpart. The easiest way to find out what's available is to ask a pharmacist or check online. Source: Upstate Today (South Carolina)

Labels: medications, generics

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The Seattle-based Edge Foundation has announced that it will conduct a 27-month study on the effect personal coaching has on students with ADHD.

"The 27-month study will be led by a faculty team at Wayne State University in Detroit. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that coaching helps students, but there's never been a rigorous scientific study, said Sharon Field, the study's research director."

Funding for the study is being provided by an $805,000 grant from the Deerbrook Charitable Trust and other contributors. Source: Seattle Times

Labels: research, coaching, studies

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About three percent of the population is afflicted with nonsyndromic mental retardation. Now new research from the University of Montreal in Canada finds that genetic mutations cause the affliction. The mutations occur while the child is developing and are therefore not inherited.

People with nonsyndromic mental retardation have no physical abnormalities.

"Having an explanation helps families to better accept the condition," said Dr. Jacque Michaud, author of the study, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Dr. Kenny Handelman, who already authors a blog and runs a social networking site dedicated to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is extending his advocacy to include podcasts. People can now subscribe to his www.ADHD.tv broadcasts through iTunes.

"Handelman, ultimately, sees his mission as a twofold project. Through his practice and his many web-based projects, he seeks to 'improve the quality of life... and recognize the potential' of those with ADHD. But he also wants those who don't suffer with the disorder to realize that ADHD is truly a mental health issue..."

One of Dr. Handelman's first podcasts included an interview with Dr. Daniel Cox of the University of Virginia, during which the two experts discussed the correlation between car accidents and ADHD drivers who weren't taking their medication. Source: 24-7 Press Release

Labels: support, advocacy

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Residents in and around Princeton, New Jersey, are invited to attend a talk that is being hosted by the Princeton-Mercer chapter of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). The program is being held Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Riverside Elementary School.

"This talk will focus on helping parents understand the social, emotional and cognitive tasks of adolescents, the inherent challenges for the ADHD teenager and his/her parents, and how a parent can help during adolescence while supporting healthy development."

The program's featured speaker will be Dr. Sharon Press, a licensed psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Press has developed and implemented several programs, including some for ADHD children and their parents. Source: The (NJ) Star-Ledger

Labels: parents, support groups

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The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a class action lawsuit against Coca-Cola Co. for falsely advertising its new VitaminWater beverages as healthful drinks.

"VitaminWater is Coke's attempt to dress up soda in a white physician's coat," said the group's litigation director, Steve Gardner. "Underneath it is still sugar water - sugar water that costs ten bucks a gallon."

Coca-Cola promotes VitaminWater as a product that reduces the risk of disease, improves immune function and promotes healthy joints.

Labels: FDA, healthy_foods

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A major study of more than 5,000 Canadians found that psychological factors determine how much and how often people exercise.

Dr. Sai Yi Pan and her colleagues at Public Health Agency of Canada asked 5,167 adults how confident they were that they could exercise 30 minutes three or four times a week. People who answered that they were confident were more likely to carry out exercise programs. Dr. Pan also found that those who said they intended to be active in the near future were also more likely to exercise regularly.

Dr. Pan suggested that public health programs should "enhance people's motivation and confidence," and not just provide education about the benefits of exercise.

Dr. Pan's study was published January 16, 2009, in Volume 9 of the journal BMC Public Health.

Labels: exercise

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Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Dimitri Christakis joined many others in the medical world in the effort to convince parents that "smart TV" programs could help their children become super-smart. Today, after two decades of research, Dr. Christakis has reversed his opinion:

Millions of dollars in marketing... have helped persuade too many parents... that they're doing a good thing for their children, says Christakis. Studies have shown the opposite is true, that baby programs can actually delay language development... and harm attention spans. (The Toronto Star)

The debate continues among parents, some of whom prefer games and puzzles, while others refer to their television set as "my friend."

Labels: brain_activity, tv_watching, babies

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Children who experience academically failure as first graders are at risk for depression and lowered self-perceptions five years later, according to a new study from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Keith Herman and his colleagues assessed 474 students in first grade, and followed up with them when they entered middle school. Students who were struggling with math and reading as primary grade students held more negative self-beliefs as middle schoolers, and felt that they had less control over the outcomes in their lives.

Dr. Herman wrote that it is important for every child to feel successful in some area, such as music, athletics, or social skills, because "children's individual differences will always exist in academic skills."

Labels: depression, self-esteem, failures

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Scientists are making progress in the effort to develop a prenatal test for autism.

Previous research studies have found higher levels of the male hormone testosterone in the fluids of babies who are born with autism, thereby opening the way to a prenatal test for the disorder. Autism now affects one in 150 American children, with symptoms ranging from severe mental incapacity to mild social impairments.

Though the test promises to provide significant insights into fetal wellness, the procedure is not without it critics.

Autism expert Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor at Cambridge University, believes that terminating pregnancies based on such prenatal testing could lead to fewer people being born who are gifted in mathematics. Baron-Cohen explained that autism becomes more common at the extremes of math excellence.

Labels: autism, screening, prenatal

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As of 2007, 1.5 million parents were home schooling their children - a 36 percent increase since 2003, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).

"There is no reason to believe [the prevalence of homeschooling] would not keep going up," NCES spokesperson Gail Mullin said. In fact, the estimate may be low because homeschooling parents often prefer not to participate in government surveys.

The top reason that parents choose home schools - cited by 88 percent in the survey - is concern about safety, drugs, and peer pressure. The second most prevalent reason, which was cited by 75 percent of homeschooling parents, was dissatisfaction with local academics.

Labels: parents, homeschooling

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