Patients with type II diabetes are more likely to show poor impulse control, according to a new study from Tokyo Women's Medical University in Japan.

• Dr. Yasuhiko Iwamoto and her colleagues found that middle-aged, newly diagnosed patients with Type II diabetes were more likely to have deficits in impulse control, which could explain why so many patients have trouble following their diets and maintaining exercise regimes.
• Dr. Iwamoto performed psychological tests on 27 Type II diabetic patients and 27 people without that condition.
• The research revealed that diabetics were more likely to have impulsive responses to stimuli instead of using executive function abilities in their brains.
  

The study appears in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine.

Labels: impulsivity, impluse control

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

As more studies are conducted on ADHD treatments, evidence supporting good nutrition continues to mount. Research has linked ADHD symptoms to low levels of fatty acids and to food allergies.

"It is prudent to consider nutrition as one of the first aspects of treatment, be it as an alternative treatment or used in [conjunction] with pharmaceutical drugs. To summarize, one should modify the diet in such a way that it contains a judicious mix of proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Processed foods and simple sugars should be eliminated from the diet." [Source: Natural Holistic Health]

A healthy diet may not be the only treatment an ADHD child needs, but it can certainly help reduce symptoms and balance his energy level throughout the day.

Labels: nutrition

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A study out of Australia is again raising the question of how best to treat kids with ADHD. The study, from Western Australias Health Department, found that children who were treated with ADHD medications fared no better in school than those who weren't.

"Parents should be & using the information for making a decision as to what the treatment of their ADHD should be," ABC Australia reported. "Treatment should be a partnership between the parents, teachers and doctors and it does include health check, education support and in some cases, stimulant medication."

Professor Ian Hicke from the Brain and Mind Research Institute told ABC Australia that it's possible that the kids who used ADHD medication were doing worse academically and the medication simply enabled them to perform at normal levels.

Labels: medications, research

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Adjusting to college can be a challenge for any student -- but for college students with ADHD, the experience can be significantly more difficult.

Unfortunately, according to a Feb. 14 article by Heather Drost of The Daily Orange (the student newspaper of the University of Syracuse), a recent study indicates that many college students who have ADHD are not receiving the support that they need:

Mark Thomas, a physician at the University of Alabama's student health center, found most campuses are not effectively treating ADHD because they are not prescribing prescriptions for ADHD medications such as Adderall XR, Vyvanse and Ritalin.

"Medications are by far the most effective treatment for students with ADHD," Thomas said.

Thomas conducted research to see how ADHD is diagnosed and treated on college campuses throughout the country. Thomas's study consisted of 124 colleges and universities ranging in size and location. The online survey was sent to hundreds of directors of college health services. ...

Syracuse University's ADHD management runs parallel with the guidelines for treatment that Thomas suggests in his study, said Kathleen VanVechten, associate director of SU Health Services.

Labels: medications, students, college

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A University of California, Davis study has found that babies whose mothers are over 40 years old have twice the rate of autism. However, the research team reported that this does not mean that older parents are solely responsible for recent increases in autism cases.

In their report, the researchers noted that while the number of mothers over 40 in California has increased by 300 percent since the 1990s, autism has risen by over 600 percent. Older mothers are less than 5 percent of the population.

The UC study found that babies whose fathers are over 40 have a 59 percent increased risk for autism if their mothers are under 30, but no increased risk if their mothers are over 30 years.

Labels: autism, causes, parents

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A study recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry has found that the reward system in the brains of children with ADHD may not be as well developed as it is in children who do not have the disorder.

A Feb. 11 HealthDay News article provided the following details about the study:

Spanish researchers used MRI to scan the brains of 42 children with ADHD and 42 other children with no signs of ADHD and found that the ventral striatum was smaller, particularly on the right side, in those with ADHD.

The ventral striatum includes the nucleus accumbens, which maintains levels of motivation when a person starts a task and continues to maintain motivation until the task is completed.

The reduced size of the ventral striatum in children with ADHD was associated with symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness, the researchers said.

Labels: brain_activity

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Parents of children with ADHD are faced with unique child-rearing challenges -- and issues such as lost homework, unexpected outbursts, and behavioral issues at school can cause these parents to feel as though they're always playing catch-up.

In a Feb. 10 article on examiner.com, Devona Fryer advises parents of ADHD children to use their need for organization as a jumping-off point for revamping the family's behavior patterns for the benefit of all family members:

Map out how you want your mornings, afternoons, and evenings to go. Figure out what goals you are trying to achieve. Having things mapped out in a time scheduled format is best and you have a greater chance at success if you stick to time guidelines. ...

If you are having trouble putting your children to bed, try establishing a bedtime routine; such as, brushing his/her teeth before bed and then settling them down with story time. ... Change will take time. Find out what works best for your family. This new system will help more than just your children; the whole family will benefit and know what to expect.

Labels: behavior, parenting, family, organization

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

A University of California, San Diego study found that children who took Tylenol after the administration of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR) had six times the risk for autism.

Dr. S.T. Schultz studied 86 children with autism and 80 control children and found there was no similar risk if the children were given ibuprofen after vaccination.

Many parents of children with autism , blamed mercury in vaccines for their children's conditions; however, this cause has been ruled out by previous studies.

The new study appears in the journal Autism.

Labels: vaccines, autism, research, tylenol

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

When Mary Robertson's son was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) she became actively involved in CHADD (Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) a national organization that raises awareness and offers support to families.

She thought she was well-versed in the traits of ADHD, until her daughter was born. Writer Susan Ince reported on Robertson's experience in an article on parenting.com:

Knowing that these kinds of problems tend to run in families, the Lexington, Kent., mother feared a similar ordeal when her second child was born. Instead, daughter Samantha was so laid-back that she never even received a time-out.

Surprisingly, Samantha's transition to school was also tough. Although she sat quietly, Samantha couldn't focus well enough to learn or even to play with the other kids. "There I was, on the national board of CHADD, and I completely missed that my daughter also had attention issues!" exclaims Robertson.

If even this savvy mom was caught off guard, how can less informed parents know when their youngster needs help? Indeed, more and more experts are saying that the way kids with attention troubles have been identified has done American families a disservice.

They're adamant that half of all kids with these difficulties are not being diagnosed, and those like Samantha -- who lack focus but don't exhibit other behavior that attracts notice -- are the most likely to slip through the cracks. (Often confusing is the clinical diagnosis for Samantha's problem: ADHD, predominantly inattentive type. In other words, she has a hyperactivity disorder without the hyperactivity.)

Labels: parenting

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A man from Northern-Ireland took to the streets this week in protest over a school's treatment of his son, who has been diagnosed with ADHD.

A Feb. 5 article in the Portadown Times provided the following information about Paul McConville's protest:

A dispute between the father of a pupil with learning difficulties and Drumcree College went public last week when Craigavon man Paul McConville protested outside the school gates.

Mr McConville, whose son suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and behavioural problems, took up position last Thursday afternoon, the school's open day. The father of six was carrying a placard and also handed out leaflets to parents of prospective pupils.

The man's 14-year-old son, who is in third year in the learning support class, has been absent from school for a number of months after disputes between the family and Drumcree College over a range of issues concerning the treatment and education of his son. ...

Said Mr McConville, "The school knew my son had behavioural problems when they admitted him in the first place."

Labels: protest, ireland, fathers, awareness

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Despite the way it sounds, "hippotherapy" doesn't have anything to do with hippopotamuses. "Hippo" comes from the Greek word meaning "horse," and hippotherapy refers to behavioral therapy techniques that use horses.

The American Hippotherapy Association defines hippotherapy as "a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes." This is different than therapeutic riding, the AHA notes, as therapeutic riding only focuses upon teaching the child to ride a horse.

The principle of hippotherapy is that the horse's presence helps the child focus attention and learn more effectively. Children who have engaged in hippotherapy have experienced increased social functioning, improved speech and language skills, better balance and improved motor function.

Labels: equine-therapy, hippotherapy

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

The Centers for Disease Control reports that ADHD diagnoses have increased an average of 3 percent a year since 1997. It is now estimated to be among the costliest of behavioral disorders, and recent research indicates that exposure to lead may be somewhat to blame.

The Association for Psychological Science (APS) reported the following:

Emerging research ... suggests an environmental link for ADHD with some experts believing lead may be a culprit. Lead is a neurotoxin. ... It's found in trace amounts in everything from childrens costume jewelry to imported candies to soil and drinking water. ...

According to psychological scientist Joel Nigg of the Oregon Health & Science University, this universal low-level exposure makes lead an ideal candidate for the disorder's trigger.

Until recently, this was just a theory, but studies have begun to find evidentiary support, the APS reported:

• One study found that children with ADHD did have slightly higher levels of lead in their blood.
  
• The second study found a strong link between elevated blood levels of lead and reporting of ADHD symptoms by parents and teachers.

Labels: causes, lead, environment

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A study that will appear in the March issue of Pediatrics has found that foster children who are placed in loving, stable homes have fewer issues with attention and impulsivity.

• The study was conducted through the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
• The study followed 252 children in 95 families for four years.
• Researchers talked with biological parents, foster parents, teachers and the children themselves.
• Most interesting and encouraging to researches was the affect environment had on symptoms related to ADHD  a disorder with proven biological components.

"Children whose parents reported higher parental warmth  how much do the parents like the child, how much affection the parent reports toward the child, how much time they spend together  showed fewer ADHD symptoms," HealthDay News reported, "while children whose parents reported hostility  being annoyed at the child, thinking the child a burden, being angry at the child  showed more ADHD symptoms."

Labels: attention, impulsivity, foster care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments