Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley have found that students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder fared better on math and reading tests if they were taking medication. The study followed 600 kids with ADHD from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Children's scores on several standardized math and reading tests taken during those years were examined. Compared with unmedicated kids, average scores for medicated children were almost three points higher in math and more than five points higher in reading. The difference amounts to about three months ahead in reading and two months in math, the researchers said. (Source: The Associated Press)

The researchers were quick to note that medication is not the only effective treatment for ADHD, and the study simply indicates that kids who are treated fare better than those who are not.

Even though they are capable of achieving significant results, many students with ADHD have histories of academic frustration and other school-related problems. For many of these students, private boarding schools have been able to provide the intensive support and structured guidance that can lead to considerable improvements in both performance and behavior.

Labels: academics, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, boarding_school, schools

The Substance Abuse Minister of the South Australian government has announced that her department will develop a national paper outlining the misuse of medications designed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

[Jane] Lomax-Smith says about 5,000 young people in South Australia are taking stimulant medications for ADHD. "While in South Australia we’re not aware of any illicit use of this type ... certainly there’s anecdotal information from around the world," she said. (Source: ABC News)

Ms. Lomax-Smith said that she is "fairly sure" that ADHD medication is being misused by young people in South Australia, and her office intends to find out for sure. The misuse of ADHD medications has been identified in many other nations as contributing to the troubling rise in teen abuse of prescription medications.

Labels: abuse, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, prescription_drugs, teens

Cameron Carter is an 11-year-old British boy who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and dyslexia. Both conditions cause him trouble in class; he gets frustrated and acts out, behavior which led to seven expulsions during elementary school. Now that he's in secondary school, the problems are continuing -- and his mother is less than pleased with the school's response

Cameron Carter has been excluded from Forest Town's Garibaldi School five times since September. ...

Angela [Cameron's mother] claims [his current school] does not have the resources to deal with Cameron, but a request to move him has been knocked back by the Nottinghamshire Local Education Authority. Now Angela says action needs to be taken quickly -- before her son gets in more serious trouble ...

A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesman said the cost of sending Cameron to the school in Cumbria would be over 100,000 [British pound sterling] every year. "There is no professional evidence to suggest that Cameron needs an independent special school or a residential setting," he said. [Source: Mansfield Chad]

School officials have said the cost of sending Cameron to a special school are too high, and they believe his current school is equipped to help him. Angela disagrees, and has taken legal action to challenge the district's decision.

Because some local public schools are unprepared to educate students with ADHD, many parents have enrolled their children in a private boarding school that specializes in providing comprehensive educational services, behavioral guidance, and emotional support to students with ADHD.

Labels: Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, education, schools

Talisman Camps and Programs, which has been offering accredited summer camp opportunities for special-needs children for more than 25 years, is currently accepting applications from families of children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or other types of learning differences.

Talisman offers three camps for children with ADHD, other learning differences, and related conditions:

Discovery is a two-week program for children between the ages of 8 and 11 who have ADHD or learning disabilities or who may be experiencing social anxiety. Discovery's activity-packed schedule and 1:2.5 staff-camper ratio allows campers to have a positive experience in a safe and supportive camping environment. Activities include rock climbing, rafting, visiting the nature center, and several other memorable experiences.

Foundations is a coeducational summer program for children ages 9 to 13 who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and mild behavior issues. Activities during the Foundations camp include backpacking, rock and tree climbing, whitewater rafting, high ropes course, swimming, nature studies, and arts and crafts. Full-camp special events include 50's, 60's, and 70's dances, a carnival, Olympics, Backwards Day, Grand Council campfires, and a final banquet.

Explorers offers younger teens (ages 12 to 14) the opportunity to complete seven days of hiking on the Blue Ridge Mountains during a unique Pioneer immersion experience. Throughout the trip, instructors guide campers in improving social interaction skills and behavior management. Wilderness skills learned during the Explorers camp include flint and bow-drill fire-starting; making cordage, spoons, and bowls; storing water in gourds; and tracking.

For more information about these and other educational opportunities for exceptional students, visit www.talismancamps.com or call 888.458.8226.

Labels: anxiety, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, learning_disabilites, social_skills, summer_camp

A ten-year-old boy from Scunthorpe in Northern England has developed a leaflet title "How I Cope with ADHD." The publication is designed to raise awareness about the condition.

The leaflet gives advice on what happens to people with ADHD, how to stay calm, and tips for dealing with other children and adults. With the help of Councillor Tony Gosling, cabinet member for children's services, Bradlei and his family were thrilled to get the leaflet printed and distributed to other schools. (Source: Press Association)

Bradlei's mother, Nikki, said that she is proud of her son for taking something negative -- common misperceptions of ADHD -- and turning it into something positive that can help other children and their parents.

Long hailed as the best treatment for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, medication is coming up against some sharp criticism. The critics are the authors, and some readers, of a recent study that found that the effects of ADHD meds diminish over time.

[The] Multimodal Treatment Study that helped popularize ADHD drugs when it found in 1999 that they were more effective than behavioral therapy in the first 14 months ... now reports the advantage is gone by the three-year mark. By the six- and eight-year marks, across 30 measures of behavior and academics, the children still being given medication by their parents 'fared no better than their non-medicated counterparts...' (Source: USA TODAY)

In light of this new information, and because of the risks that are associated with medication, some parents are opting for behavioral therapy and other forms of treatment for their children. The results of the study don't mean that medication is useless, experts advise, but simply that it should be part of a multi-faceted approach.

Labels: Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, medications, studies, therapy

A bill that was recently introduced into the Texas legislature would provide scholarships to parents of children with disabilities. Those scholarships could be used for special education programs in either public or private schools.

Now, students who qualify for special education programs are defined as those with documented physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. They also can be students with autism, learning disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries, among other conditions.

The new bill would give parents more choices for where to place their special-needs students, giving them the freedom go outside their school district to other schools that have better programs.

Source: Beaumont Enterprise (TX)

Labels: education, learning_disabilites, special-needs

Lisa Christian, a lecturer at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry, wants parents to do one thing before treating their kids for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Get their eyes examined.

"An estimated five percent of school-age children suffer from an eye disorder called convergence insufficiency, or CI," Christian said. "People with the disorder, which is treatable, have difficulty seeing things at close range."

People who have CI will avoid reading, because it gives them a headache. They also have poor reading comprehension. Because their vision is hampered, school kids find it hard to concentrate in class, and are likely to be misdiagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

Source: The Calgary Herald

Labels: Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, parenting

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are experimenting with MRI scans in infants in an effort to find a way to diagnose autism earlier.

"We're just terrible at identifying them at six months, even 12 months," said Dr. Kelly Botteron, child psychiatrist. "We really need something more like a laboratory test."

She and others are testing siblings of autistic children because they are at higher risk for the condition. This study will be ongoing for five years.

If treatment starts early, children have a better chance of functioning at higher levels. Autism is diagnosed every 20 minutes in the United States, and affects one in 150 children. The condition affects communication skills and social interaction, and involves repetitive behaviors.

Labels: autism, screening, testing

A new study out of the University of Central Florida has found that kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder focus better when they're moving, which may explain the "hyperactivity" part of ADHD.

"In studies of 8- to 12-year old boys... children with and without ADHD sat relatively still while watching Star Wars... All of the children became more active when they were required to remember and manipulate computer-generated letters, numbers and shapes... Children with ADHD became significantly more active..."

The study indicates that a child with ADHD needs to move more in order to stay alert and perform tasks requiring working memory. The findings indicate that kids with ADHD may be more productive if allowed to fidget, as long as their behavior doesn't become destructive. Source: Psych Central

Labels: activities, exercise, memory