Attention Deficit

Traditional solutions are not enough.
Learn how Play Attention can help increase focus and concentration.

6/20/2008

Adult ADHD and Job Performance

Categories:
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • Adult ADHD

…a study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that ADHD adults worked 22.1 days less than other workers each year. Furthermore, the study found that they were unable to carry out normal work activities an average of 8.4 days per year, 21.7 days of reduced work quantity and 13.6 days of reduced work quality.

Continue reading: Adult ADHD and Job Performance

Do ADHD Adults Really Lose 3 Weeks of Work Each Year?

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD
  • Joseph Biederman
  • Adult ADHD

A new study claims they do.

It’s estimated that approximately 70% to 80% of all children will carry their attention problems into adulthood. According to the new study, this could present problems for their employers. The study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that ADHD adults worked 22.1 days less than other workers each year. Furthermore, the study found that they were unable to carry out normal work activities an average of 8.4 days per year, 21.7 days of reduced work quantity and 13.6 days of reduced work quality.

Continue reading: Do ADHD Adults Really Lose 3 Weeks of Work Each Year?

5/12/2008

Adopted Children and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD

Keyes’ research team conducted in-depth psychological interviews of 692 adolescents who had been adopted before age 2. Most of the test subjects averaged 15 years of age. Keyes’ control group consisted of teenagers raised by their biological parents. Keyes found that about 7% of the teenagers raised by biological parents had been diagnosed with ADHD while 14% - 15% of adopted teens were diagnosed with ADHD.

Continue reading: Adopted Children and ADHD

5/3/2008

American Heart Association recommends Heart Exam (EKG) Before Getting ADHD Drugs

Categories:
  • ADHD

In the wake of the deaths of 20+ children taking ADHD stimulant medication, the American Heart Association (AHA) cautioned this week that children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram(EKG) before getting drugs like Ritalin to treat hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder.

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that between 5% and 7% of children have ADHD. They speculate that about 2.5 million American children and 1.5 million adults take medication for ADHD to control behavior and increase focus.

Continue reading: American Heart Association recommends Heart Exam (EKG) Before Getting ADHD Drugs

5/2/2008

Student Use of Stimulant Meds

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Strattera
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Concerta
  • Adhd: Drug Abuse

Since Ritalin abuse first hit the radar screen several years ago, the reliance on prescription stimulants to enhance performance has risen, becoming almost as commonplace as No-Doz, Red Bull and maybe even caffeine. As many as 20 percent of college students have used Ritalin or Adderall to study, write papers and take exams, according to recent surveys focused on individual campuses. A study released this month by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia found that the number of teenagers who admit to abusing prescription medications tripled from 1992 to 2003, while in the general population such abuse had doubled.

Continue reading: Student Use of Stimulant Meds

Hospital Begins Screening for Heart Conditions in ADHD Children

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Parents
  • ADHD: Health

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) recent recommendation that children be screened for possible heart problems before taking ADHD stimulant medication has spurred great anxiety among parents and professionals. The recommendation was given as a response to a number of deaths due to heart failure associated with ADHD stimulant medication.

Continue reading: Hospital Begins Screening for Heart Conditions in ADHD Children

4/15/2008

Cell phone use and attention

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • multi-tasking

The September issue of the International Journal of Neuroscience, 2007 published an article entitled, Frequent Mobile Phone Use “Might” Improve Mental Concentration.

The study was performed by researchers from Brainclinics Diagnostics and the Radboud University department of Biological Psychology both from Nijmegen (the Netherlands), the Institute of Psychiatry (London) and the Brain Resource Company (Sydney, Australia).

Continue reading: Cell phone use and attention

4/13/2008

ADHD and Food Additives: European Food Standards Agency calls for ban on six artificial colors

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Diet
  • ADHD: Health
  • ADHD: Food Additives
  • ADHD: Food Colors

For years, parents have complained that certain artificial additives to brightly colored cakes, soft drinks, and candies, had caused their children adverse reactions such as hyperactivity, skin problems, mood volatility, headaches, etc. after consumption.

The Food Standards Agency (“FSA”) recommended ministers call for manufacturers to remove six artificial colors by the end of 2009. The FSA also urged a European Union-wide ban. This reversed the FSA’s decision last month when it dismissed calls for action on the additives.

Continue reading: ADHD and Food Additives: European Food Standards Agency calls for ban on six artificial colors

4/12/2008

Women with ADHD affected more?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Girls and Women

In most clinical settings, boys are treated for ADHD at least 4 to 1 over girls. Boys, it is thought, tend to present symptoms outwardly more than girls resulting in physical behaviors that are easily noticeable (hyperactivity).

In an article reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, February 2008, author of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and his colleagues find that the roles are reversed in adults; females seem to be more impacted than men.

“We found that adult women with ADHD frequently have high levels of emotional symptoms as well as the cognitive problems found in ADHD,” Dr. Frederick W. Reimherr told Reuters Health.

Continue reading: Women with ADHD affected more?

4/11/2008

ADHD Labeling and Race

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD

The authors conclude that minority parents, on average, have less educational attainment than non-minority parents. Education is a factor that influences awareness of healthcare. In light of this, minority children with ADHD often do not receive proper medical intervention. The authors cite that, “Educated majority parents, on the other hand, have less tolerance for ADHD symptoms, have greater access to medical services.”

Continue reading: ADHD Labeling and Race

3/15/2008

Driving under the influence of ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Research

This is rather clever marketing as the research is funded by Shire Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical mega-giant who makes Adderall and the MPH patch. As I’ve stated before, it’s always questionable when a pharmaceutical giant funds a university study on its own medications. In this instance, it will make great marketing if the good Dr. Cox finds that young adults drive better while on meds!

Continue reading: Driving under the influence of ADHD

Dr. Joe Biederman and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • Russell Barkley
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • Joseph Biederman
  • ADHD: Treatment

What interests me greatly is the fact that when the authors of these studies have close ties to the pharmaceutical industry, their data tends to be skewed in favor of medicine. When there isn’t a close tie, we tend to get contradictory data, which is what one would expect.

Continue reading: Dr. Joe Biederman and ADHD

States sue over costly ADHD drug program

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs

While no long-term studies have been done on the effects the drugs have on children, there is evidence children on the drugs face greater risks of diabetes, hyperglycemia and extreme weight gain, Cohen said.

Continue reading: States sue over costly ADHD drug program

3/10/2008

Drugs, Baseball, and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD

One possible reason for this increase: in 2005 baseball banned the use of “greenies,” amphetamines that help players remained focused and energetic through the rigors of a 162-game season. Amphetamines were once as common as deli spreads in big-league clubhouses—in some, greenies were used to spike the coffee. Players are now seeking doctors’ prescriptions for ADD medications, usually Ritalin and Adderall, apparently to replace the now-illegal energy boosting drugs. (Ritalin is the trade name for the drug methylphenidate, and Adderall is an amphetamine-dextroamphetamine; they are both considered stimulants.)

Continue reading: Drugs, Baseball, and ADHD

1/29/2008

ADHD Medications: Mayo Clinic Study Contradicts MTA Study

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Concerta
  • NIMH MTA

As I wrote earlier, the longest study actually performed while following live children was the MTA and its 3-Year Follow-up of the NIMH MTA (multi-modal treatment) recently published in the journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Co-author, Professor William Pelham, of the University at Buffalo, says: “The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren’t growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight. And the second was that there were no beneficial effects – none.”

Pelham adds, “In the short run [medication] will help the child behave better, in the long run it won’t. And that information should be made very clear to parents.”
Here’s the most telling observation of the study: “I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn’t happen to be the case. There’s no indication that medication’s better than nothing in the long run.”

Continue reading: ADHD Medications: Mayo Clinic Study Contradicts MTA Study

States sue over costly ADHD drug program

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Treatment

“The situation is out of control,” said David Cohen, a professor at Florida International University who has been studying the use of antipsychotics since 1983. While no long-term studies have been done on the effects the drugs have on children, there is evidence children on the drugs face greater risks of diabetes, hyperglycemia and extreme weight gain, Cohen said.

The Daytona Beach Journal says, “According to a study that looked at three years of data, about 40 percent of the antipsychotics prescribed to Florida Medicaid children were given to children diagnosed with ADHD – a use not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.”

Continue reading: States sue over costly ADHD drug program

12/17/2007

ADHD Medications and Neurofeedback

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • Russell Barkley
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Neurofeedback
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • Drug Effectiveness Review Project

Data from the study were used to evaluate whether stimulant medication effects physical growth in children. The data collected over three years indicates that both height and weight are decreased in children using stimulant medication.

Co-author, Professor William Pelham, of the University at Buffalo, says: “The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren’t growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight. And the second was that there were no beneficial effects – none.”

Continue reading: ADHD Medications and Neurofeedback

Cogntive Skills Training and ADHD in Children

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • Training the Brain
  • Cognitive Therapy
  • ADHD: Research

A University of British Columbia research study has demonstrated that cognitive training can improve attentional control, impulse control, and other executive functions.

Furthermore, the study’s authors cite that practice of cognitive skills in early development years may decrease incidence of ADHD.
I have insisted that this was possible for nearly a decade.

Continue reading: Cogntive Skills Training and ADHD in Children

Medication, ADHD and Heart Complications

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Ritalin
  • ADHD: Concerta
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Health

In research published in Pediatrics, [December 2007; vol 120: pp 1494-1501], lead author, Almut G. Winterstein, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacy health care administration, University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Jacksonville, found that common stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) don’t often cause serious heart complications in children. However, she warns that their safety is undetermined for prolonged use.

Continue reading: Medication, ADHD and Heart Complications

Does the Brain Have an ‘irrelevance filter’ and Is It Related to ADHD?

Categories:
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD

Test subjects performed a computer-based task that required them to respond to target visual images with or without distractions. The test subjects were alerted when a target image would contain irrelevant distracters with the target images. Under this circumstance, Klingberg and McNab cited increase blood flow in the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex before the visual display appeared. This, they interpreted as the brain preparing to “filter out” the upcoming distracters. They theorize that these preliminary findings may be related to ADHD.

Continue reading: Does the Brain Have an ‘irrelevance filter’ and Is It Related to ADHD?

11/8/2007

How much improvement can ADHD students make with brainwave-powered video games?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Neurofeedback
  • ADHD: video games
  • ADHD: Parents

One strength of Play Attention, explains Morrison, is its ability to target unwanted behaviors. Sitting beside Jack, she noticed that his eyes wandered all over when he first started playing Play Attention. “There’s chair-tipping or, like we’re working with Bobby now, fiddling with things on the desk,” she says. Now, with visible manifestations of behavioral drags on performance appearing on-screen, and with cues from the coach as well, Play Attention users can more easily understand the roots of inattention and begin to rewire their brains. “I know I’m just a mom, and I sound like an infomercial,” says Morrison, “but I’d like to see Play Attention in the school system.”

Continue reading: How much improvement can ADHD students make with brainwave-powered video games?

10/22/2007

Neurofeedback, ADHD and Medication

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Neurofeedback
  • Biofeedback
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • Brain Plasticity
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • Drug Effectiveness Review Project
  • ADHD: Research
  • Attention Research Update
  • ADHD: David Rabiner

In his Attention Research Update, September 2007, David Rabiner, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist, Duke University, entitled his article, How Strong is the Research Support for Neurofeedback Treatment? The report is rather perfunctory and the staid course he’s followed for years. A fresh, candid review must be performed regarding research on multi-modal treatments, neurofeedback, and medication.

Continue reading: Neurofeedback, ADHD and Medication

9/12/2007

Neurofeedback training in ADHD children

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Neurofeedback
  • Biofeedback

A study using neurofeedback to control ADHD symptoms was published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Functions (2007 Jul 26;3(1):35, Controlled evaluation of a neurofeedback training of slow cortical potentials in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ) The researchers compared a group therapy program to a neurofeedback regimen.

Continue reading: Neurofeedback training in ADHD children

8/14/2007

Study finds divorce increases Ritalin use in children

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Ritalin
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • ADHD: Genetics
  • ADHD: Parents

Children whose parents divorce are nearly twice as likely to be prescribed Ritalin in the aftermath of the split, a Canadian study reports.

What we need is a deeper understanding of this issue, at the level of the primary care practitioners,” said Dr. Abel Ickowicz.

“Because . . . if we are going too quick to prescribe medication, like Ritalin, like methylphenidate, we may not only be masking the normal process of adaptation to divorce, but we may be contributing to the degree of distress the children of divorce are experiencing.”

Continue reading: Study finds divorce increases Ritalin use in children

8/13/2007

The Last Normal Child and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Ritalin
  • ADHD: Strattera
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • Lawrence H. Diller

Dr. Lawrence H. Diller’s book, The Last Normal Child: Essays on the Intersection of Kids, Culture, and Psychiatric Drugs, is a fascinating and provocative work. As an experienced developmental/behavioral pediatrician, Diller examines the current trend to quickly diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the perfunctory prescription of stimulant drugs even when there is scarce evidence regarding academic improvement, social improvement, or long-term efficacy.

Diller’s perspective is quite evenly balanced; he prescribes stimulant medication for ADHD when indicated, but only as part of thorough assessment and comprehensive management program.

It is clear that Diller believes that ADHD is being over diagnosed. He states that over the last 15 years brand name stimulant production has increased by an astounding 1700% and generic stimulants by more than 3000%!

Continue reading: The Last Normal Child and ADHD

8/1/2007

The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 5

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs

As I mentioned previously, many factors were involved in the cultural shift that altered our perception about children like Dennis the Menace. The cultural shift has made the United States the leading consumer of Ritalin. As a matter of fact, according to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the US now consumes about 90% of the world’s Ritalin supply!

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 5

The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 4

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education

So, now children in the Henry Ford production line model of education, tempered by John Dewey’s experiential, nurturing educational philosophy, were exposed to changes to curriculum based on society’s fear of satellites. Strangely enough, even with the crazy dynamics of the times, children with attention problems existed; however, they were viewed quite differently than today’s ADHD children and actually survived and thrived quite well. Nurturing was expected and practiced at school, boundaries were set and maintained; if you got in trouble at school, you were likely to be in twice as much trouble when you got home. Furthermore, without the demands of incredibly stringent testing in all grades, ADHD children could were not exposed to the demands currently place on them.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 4

The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 3

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs

Dennis the Menace began appearing as a comic strip character in the early 1950s. While his physical appearance changed slightly in the 1960s and 1970s, he was still considered a lovable child when I began my teaching career in the mid 1980s. We continued to laugh at his innocent acts of menace toward his family and friends without mention of medication or ADHD.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 3

The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 2

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs

The great industrialist and inventor, Henry Ford founded his company on precision and efficiency in the early 1900s. To produce cars for the masses, he would need a method of assembly that could quickly assemble mass produced parts into a complete automobile. His assembly line model rapidly changed the world. Using the assembly/production line model, mass assembly of products became the norm. This in turn produced higher volumes of products available to the masses. Mass production allowed manufacturers to sell products for cheaper prices as well. All of this was based on efficiency. Educationalists were impressed.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 2

The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 1

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs

Anyone remember Dennis the Menace? As a child, I watched Jay North portray that mischievous blond-headed boy who always got into trouble and annoyed his grumpy neighbor. Dennis was loved back then.

Dennis is the kid everyone seems to have on his street even now. He’s intelligent and uses it to get into everything. Even when he tries to help others out, he still finds trouble. He often acts out without thinking about consequences.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 1

6/24/2007

Questioning the growing popularity of drug treatments

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs

Wasowicz questions the growing popularity of drug treatments as an almost reflexive action by healthcare providers. She indicates that current research shows a steady rise in the use of prescription drugs by children and adolescents, particularly among girls.

Continue reading: Questioning the growing popularity of drug treatments

6/23/2007

ADHD and Genetics

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • Brain Plasticity
  • ADHD: Genetics
  • Alasdair Vance

Dr. Vance believes he has conclusive evidence that key areas of the brain do not develop as quickly in children with ADHD. These areas, he posits, are linked to a child’s understanding of time and space as well as the ability to use working memory.

“So their ability to read other people’s body language, to pick up on the nuances of what their peer group are up to, would clearly be affected by the sort of developmental delays in brain development that we’ve identified,” he said.

Continue reading: ADHD and Genetics

Overhead camera to detect mental illness

Categories:
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD

Here’s some true insight: Perry has experimented on about 100 subjects so far and has observed that people with ADHD move around the room more actively than ADHD people.

No kidding. We needed a study for that information.

Continue reading: Overhead camera to detect mental illness

6/12/2007

Does poor parenting cause ADHD?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Parents

It is a myth that poor parenting causes ADHD. This is a still a sore spot for many parents of non-ADHD children.

Continue reading: Does poor parenting cause ADHD?

6/4/2007

Study shows Fatty Acids may be helpful for ADHD- Part 2

Categories:
  • ADHD

(Part 2 of 2) …a study published recently in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics largely addresses this concern, and provides new evidence on the promising nature of this treatment approach (Sinn, N., & Bryan, J. [2007]. Effect of supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids and micronutrients on learning and behavior problems associated with child ADHD. JDBP, 28, 82-92.].

Continue reading: Study shows Fatty Acids may be helpful for ADHD- Part 2

Study shows Fatty Acids may be helpful for ADHD - Part 1

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Research
  • ADHD: Diet
  • ADHD: Fatty Acids

(Part 1 of 2) Two studies are noted here, one in the UK and one in Australia. Both studies show promising data on HUFAs and ADHD.

Continue reading: Study shows Fatty Acids may be helpful for ADHD - Part 1

Can we map attention, memory and language links in the human brain?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Research

“ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is probably one of the most over-diagnosed disorders of our time,” Christensen said. “The reason for that, I think, is that we really don’t know very much about the biological basis of this syndrome. There’s a lot of research on it, but there’s still a lot of disagreement about what the root cause is, and about whether drugs like Ritalin that are being prescribed to children as young as 2 years old are doing any good, and if we have any business exposing our children to drugs at such a very early age,” he added.

Continue reading: Can we map attention, memory and language links in the human brain?

5/31/2007

Can ADHD be identified in blood?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD

Researchers Sharon A. Murphy, MD, and Douglas Woodruff, MD, psychiatrists in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland presented their findings at the 160th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Their work is based a particular technique called cell membrane potential. They propose that use of this technique may help medical professionals clearly identify attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and possibly major depressive disorder.

Continue reading: Can ADHD be identified in blood?

5/29/2007

ADHD and Impulse Control

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD

We think of people who are impulsive as acting too quickly. Kids with ADHD are actually

slower on the ‘go’ task than the control kids. It’s not that they go too quickly; they stop too slowly.”

Continue reading: ADHD and Impulse Control

4/22/2007

Max Gail and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD

I sat down with veteran actor, Max Gail a short time ago to discuss Max’s attention problems and how they relate to his family and acting career.

Q: Do people still recognize you from Barney Miller?

Continue reading: Max Gail and ADHD

For ADHD Children, Mother’s Depression, Early Parenting Predict Conduct Problems

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD
  • Brain Plasticity
  • ADHD: Parents

According to a study published in the January 2007 issue of the American Psychological Association’s journal, Developmental Psychology, a mother’s depression predicts whether children with ADHD will develop behavioral problems.

Psychology professor Andrea Chronis, director of the University of Maryland ADHD Program and lead author on the paper said, “In the real world, this could have important implications, because research has suggested that children with both ADHD and conduct problems are at the greatest risk of becoming chronic criminal offenders.”

Continue reading: For ADHD Children, Mother’s Depression, Early Parenting Predict Conduct Problems

ADHD and Alcohol Abuse

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Alcohol Abuse

Two new studies confirm that ADHD children are more at-risk for alcohol and substance abuse as they grow older. Parental alcoholism and stressful family environments are additional risks. Results of the two studies were published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research [April 2007]

Continue reading: ADHD and Alcohol Abuse

The Global Market For ADHD Medications

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • Stephen Hinshaw

The researchers stated that one in twenty-five children is taking medication for ADHD in the US. However, their research also suggests that the diagnosis of ADHD and subsequent use of medications to control it is now spreading worldwide.

Continue reading: The Global Market For ADHD Medications

4/16/2007

Brain Volume and ADHD

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD

I’ve briefly mentioned research studies in the past that find ADHD children have decreased brain volumes (essentially smaller brains) than their peers. Recently, another of these studies was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry (April 2007). Using MRI, the study followed 36 children over two years. How research like this gets published is beyond speculation, but in the publish or perish world of academia, it’s fairly standard trash.The journal reports that the researchers (a group of MDs and PhDs) “…compared the volumes of each lobe of the cerebellar hemispheres and vermis in children with ADHD and comparison subjects and used a new regional cerebellar volume measurement to characterize the developmental trajectory of these differences.”

Just an anatomical note, the cerebellar …

Continue reading: Brain Volume and ADHD

ADHD and Social Distancing

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD

As I’ve discussed in previous blogs, ADHD children and adults have difficulty recognizing social cues or regulating impulse control and therefore frequently cannot maintain friendships or adapt well socially.

A recent study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, (48, 50-67) examines the other side of this issue; it examines the attitudes of adults toward persons with depression or AD/HD.

Continue reading: ADHD and Social Distancing

4/15/2007

Brain Study May Shed Light on Attention Disorders

Categories:
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • Biofeedback
  • distractions
  • ADHD: Treatment

New research shows it takes one part of the brain to start concentrating and another to be distracted. This discovery could help scientists develop better treatments for attention deficit disorder.

Continue reading: Brain Study May Shed Light on Attention Disorders

10/6/2005

Technology Showing Promise in Treating Attention and Behavioral Problems in Children & Adults

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • Biofeedback
  • ADHD: video games
  • Brain Plasticity
  • NASA
  • Training the Brain

“NASA has proven that attention can be improved through feedback training. Play Attention is actually an enhancement to their technology which is successfully impacting the lives of children and adults worldwide,” says Peter Freer, Play Attention Founder and CEO.

Continue reading: Technology Showing Promise in Treating Attention and Behavioral Problems in Children & Adults

9/13/2005

Are ADHD drugs safe? Report finds little proof

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • Drug Effectiveness Review Project
  • DERP

At a time when millions of children and adults are taking drugs for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the most comprehensive scientific analysis of the drugs to date has found little evidence that they are safe, that one drug is more effective than another or that they help school performance.

The 731-page report was done by the Drug Effectiveness Review Project, based at Oregon State University. The group analyzed 2,287 studies – virtually every investigation ever done on ADHD drugs anywhere in the world – to reach its conclusions.

Continue reading: Are ADHD drugs safe? Report finds little proof

Insurers Question Studies of ADHD Drugs

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Ritalin
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Treatment

Some journals are trying themselves to help readers discover marketing messages slipped in amid the scientific data. Last year BMJ, a British journal, published a piece called “Users’ guide to detecting misleading claims in clinical research reports,” which came with a picture of a reader dumping salt on a medical journal. One piece of advice: Beware when the authors break out one subgroup of patients and claim benefits from the treatment that weren’t evident in the whole group.

Continue reading: Insurers Question Studies of ADHD Drugs

9/8/2005

An Innovative Technology for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Autism
  • ADHD: video games
  • Training the Brain

Presently, some researchers and experts recognize that there is a correlation between Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Some believe that ADHD is closely related to Asperger’s Syndrome. Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD are developmental disorders that affect the areas of social skills, behavior, and communication.
When combined with special strategies as well as transfer and generalization techniques, Play Attention has produced remarkable results for students with Autism and AD/HD. The core Play Attention system allows the teacher to modify and adjust it curriculum to accommodate the special needs of these children.

Continue reading: An Innovative Technology for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Can custom-made video games help children with attention deficit disorder?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • Neuroplasticity
  • ADHD
  • Biofeedback
  • ADHD: video games
  • NASA
  • ADHD: Ritalin
  • Stephen Hinshaw

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about three percent of American school children take stimulants like Ritalin regularly. However current research suggests a surprising new strategy for treating this disorder: video games linked to brain-wave biofeedback that can help kids with ADHD train their minds to tune in and settle down.

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New Video Game Shows Promise In Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD)

Categories:
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD
  • Biofeedback
  • ADHD: video games
  • Training the Brain
  • Stephen Hinshaw

As many as three million children in the United States are being treated for Attention Deficit Disorder. And they’re not the only ones. 4.4 percent of the adult population have A.D.D. or a related disorder, making it the second most common psychological problem in adults after depression. VOA’s Paige Kollock reports on a new ‘game’ that might be able to help them.

Educators say the game takes between eight and 12 months to become permanently effective. From that point on, they say, users can fall back on the skill for the rest of their lives.

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Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Do Well on Deadline and Love a Challenge?

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • Adult ADD
  • Information Overload
  • ADHD: Treatment

Can you say clueless? Stafford interviews Dr. William Dodson, MD who spoke to about 50 Hallmark Cards employees. His recommendation? If you want an employee who performs best on deadline, hire someone who has trouble staying on task. Dodson apparently specializes in treating with AD/HD. He said that adults with the neuropsychiatric condition generally respond well to urgency and fast pace. This seems true, meeting deadlines? That’s one of the greatest problems for adult AD/HD people.

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IEP: An ADHD ADD Student Right

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • IEP
  • Individualized Education Program

Every student has a right to an IEP.

It simply defines what goals and objectives will be used over the student’s academic year to achieve success. If some accommodations like computer software, lengthened test time, etc. need to be implemented, then do it. It is mandated and paid for by the federal government under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). It does require extra effort and perhaps even extra staff to write and implement the IEP.

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Girls With ADHD and ADD Are Often Overlooked

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • Joseph Biederman
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Girls and Women

ADHD likely affects 3% to 7% of the entire child population in the US. However, girls are frequently overlooked because they often do not display hyperactive symptoms.

When teaching at the elementary level, I found this particularly true. Girls with ADHD often were simply daydreamers with poor time management skills. While some did display the outward social and behavioral problems that their male peers did, it was not very frequent.

HealthNewsDigest.com is published by the American Psychological Association. I’ve cited bits of this report and am alarmed by its look and feel. It reads like an endorsement and advertisement for Adderall XR.

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Genetics and ADHD ADD

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Genetics

Clearly, there is no current research (2005) that has determined that ADHD is genetic either partially or entirely. While empirical data suggest that a genetic link exists, research is still sparse as scientists primarily focus on childhood onset of the disorder with little research on adult AD/HD.Andrea Chronis of the University of Maryland  has focused on AD/HD mothers and their performance as parents. In her study of 70 families with elementary-school-age children she found that:Mothers of ADHD children are 24 times as likely as the average woman to have it Fathers of ADHD children are 5 times higher than average to have it The mothers often weren’t very involved with their children The mothers had few skills to cope with …

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Adult ADD: Many Children Maintain their Disorder into Adulthood

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • Russell Barkley
  • Adult ADD
  • ADHD: Education
  • ADHD: Treatment

Dr. Fischer indicated that many children maintain their disorder into adulthood. The article is not clear whether this data was relevant to treated or untreated ADHD. However, clinical data suggests that perhaps 60% of ADHD children will carry their disorder into adulthood. This may be a conservative estimate.

While the data are compelling, the study is too small to conclude that ADHD alone causes these ill effects.

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Autism and Parents Education

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Symptoms
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Autism

The Daily Telegraph reports of a highly controversial study indicating that parents of autistic children tend to be more highly educated than parents of children with other mental problems.

Seven percent of US children are suspected of having ADHD while the British study indicates on two per cent had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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ADHD ADD Drug Adderall XR Back on the Market in Canada

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Adderall
  • ADHD: Treatment

Bloomberg reports Shire Says Canada Allows Sale of Adderall XR Again after appealing Health Canada’s decision to pull Adderall XR from Canadian shelves.

Health Canada’s decision was based on Adderall XR’s link to 20 deaths.

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New ADHD Drug to Fix Your Child

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD: Diagnosis
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Treatment
  • ADHD: Modafinil

The public’s current perception is that using these medications will indeed ‘fix’ their broken child. Unfortunately, and according to the National Institutes of Health, more than medication is needed to address the full needs of AD/HD children. So, as long as pharmaceutical companies keep marketing in a manner which encourages the public’s ‘fix’ perception, we’ll continue to have kids who historically remove themselves from medication whenever they can (usually upon emancipation) and carry their AD/HD into adulthood with no compensatory skills.

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8/16/2005

Video Games and Brain Development

Categories:
  • ADHD: Children
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Brain Development
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: video games
  • Brain Plasticity
  • NASA
  • Training the Brain

Brice Mellen is super proficient in games such as Mortal Kombat and others. The only difference between Brice and his peers is that Brice is blind. The following excerpt is from the article and is an exceptional example of neuroplasticity or Brice’s ability (his brain’s ability) to compensate for his loss of sight.

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Strattera and ADHD - “Show me the money…”

Categories:
  • ADHD: Medications
  • ADHD
  • ADHD: Drugs
  • ADHD: Strattera

The following press release makes it clear why so much attention is paid to prescribing medication to the ADHD market: MONEY. It’s a $2.6 BILLION market with annual compound growth of 36.7% since 2002.

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