ADHD in the News 2026-09-24
Tylenol during pregnancy not linked to autism, ADHD, major review finds
In the midst of increasing misinformation about acetaminophen (Tylenol) and its relationship to autism, many expecting women feel confused about what they should take if they experience a fever. A paper published today found that there’s no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism or attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Padilla, Murphy Introduce Bill to Protect Students from Physical Abuse, End Dangerous Corporal Punishment Practices in Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in re-introducing the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act, legislation that would ban corporal punishment for any school that receives federal funding, as well as establish a federal grant program to support states and school districts across the country improve school safety.
Peer Exchange: Managing Adult ADHD: Addressing Diagnosis, Treatment Selection, and All-Day Symptom Control, EP. 3 & 4 (Opinion)
EP. 3: Underdiagnosis and Comorbid Conditions in Adult ADHD: Many adults with ADHD are hiding in plain sight behind a prior anxiety or depression diagnosis. The panel examines underdiagnosis trends and how to identify ADHD beneath common comorbid conditions.
EP. 4: Why Early ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment Save Lives: Untreated ADHD carries measurable costs in relationships, careers, and even life expectancy. The panel makes the clinical case for diagnosing and treating adult ADHD as early as possible.
Adult ADHD: Does Age at Diagnosis Affect Clinical Profile?
An attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis later in life is associated with a milder clinical and genetic profile than a diagnosis during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. In a cross-sectional study of more than 13,000 adults with ADHD, those diagnosed in adulthood had fewer psychiatric and somatic comorbidities and less functional impairment than those diagnosed at a younger age. Both groups, however, had higher rates of psychiatric and somatic conditions than adults without ADHD, including depression and neurologic disorders.
Parental Stimulant Medication Added to Parental Behavioral Therapy Led to Better Outcomes for Parent-and-Child Pairs With ADHD
[Excerpt] A team at the University of Maryland, College Park, led by Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, recently reported results of a trial that took 6 years to complete, involving parent-child dyads, or pairs, with ADHD. The objective was to determine if treating ADHD parents with both an ADHD medication and an evidence-based behavioral parenting intervention (called I-BPT) designed to improve parenting skills relevant in caring for young children with ADHD would improve outcomes among the children—compared with outcomes in children whose parents received the parenting intervention alone, without medication.
Navigating roadblocks to autism, ADHD diagnoses for Hispanic families
With Hispanic Heritage Month having just begun, Dr. Ben Morsa, a clinical psychologist, spoke with WESH 2's Lindsey Sablan and shared advice for Hispanic parents who are navigating roadblocks to autism and ADHD diagnoses.
Air Force Tech Specialist Faces Potential Discharge Over a Prescribed ADHD Medication
A 16-year airman at Travis AFB told Military.com that a positive drug test due to a military-doctor prescribed medication puts his career in jeopardy.
New Consensus Recommendations for Comprehensive ADHD Monitoring
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is traditionally characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. However, many individuals with ADHD also experience executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation, which can significantly affect daily functioning, quality of life, relationships, academic performance, and professional success, according to a poster presented at the 2026 Psych Congress Annual Meeting.
Methylphenidate and Lisdexamfetamine Show Comparable Risk for Abuse
Key point: Global pharmacovigilance data indicated that lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate shared comparable reporting rates for abuse and dependence, which were higher than those observed with other common attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder therapies.
Menstrual Symptoms Linked to Depression, ADHD, and Anxiety in Adolescent Girls
Key point: Adolescent girls who experienced early menarche, irregular menstrual cycles, or severe menstrual pain had a significantly higher likelihood of developing depression, anxiety, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
Meta-analysis Finds Long-term Exercise Associated with Moderate Improvements in Executive Functioning for Children and Adolescents with ADHD
The Background: Many studies have tried to determine whether exercise improves executive function in children and adolescents with ADHD, but their conclusions have not always agreed. To bring the evidence together more clearly, the research team re-analyzed the available randomized controlled trials using a statistical approach designed to handle the kinds of data common in this field.
Children’s pupils may reveal shifting attention in ADHD, especially when off medication
The eyes are more than lenses to the outside world; they can also be windows that offer a glimpse into what's happening inside our bodies. What if the eyes could help us understand how attention shifts from one moment to the next? Scientists are now testing whether tiny changes in pupil size can serve as a physiological marker of these fluctuations in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
People with similar mental health conditions tend to end up together, raising risk within families
The old saying that birds of a feather flock together may hold even when people with psychiatric illnesses choose their partners. A recent JAMA Psychiatry study investigated whether parents were more likely to share mental and physical health conditions and how this pattern of pairing affects disease risk.
With pioneering ADHD data, Alkermes eyes orexin agonist as potential ‘company changer’
Following Takeda’s historic approval of the first orexin agonist with its narcolepsy treatment Orzeyful, Alkermes has followed up with pioneering data that looks to take the hyped drug class out of sleep disorders and into broader patient populations. The neuro specialist today shared that its mimic of the brain protein orexin, which regulates arousal and alertness, alleviated symptoms in a small phase 1b trial of 50 adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).