Parting With Pills: Why Students with ADHD “Share” Medication With Peers

Researchers with Trinity College and Texas State University completed a study to determine not only why emerging adults (EAs) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) choose to “”share”” prescription stimulants with peers, but also how, and to what effect, EAs with ADHD are approached. The study of 149 EAs with ADHD determined several “”predictors”” to diversion of…

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Scientists call BPA exposure ‘presumed health hazard’ for hyperactivity

Bisphenol-A, widely used in plastics, receipt paper and canned food linings, is a culprit in some children developing hyperactivity, researchers say, even as federal regulators insist on its safety. A review of more than 30 scientific studies concludes early life exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical BPA leaves children more susceptible to hyperactivity later in…

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Exposure to childhood violence linked to psychiatric disorders

Investing in diminishing socioeconomic status inequalities and in preventing violent events during childhood may improve the mental health of youths from low socioeconomic status backgrounds. The results showed that having experienced any traumatic event and low socioeconomic status were associated with an internalizing disorder such as depression and anxiety and an externalizing disorder including attention-deficit…

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Primary Care and Academic Success Linked in ADHD

Having a regular primary care physician (PCP) may optimize the academic performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a recent study found. Researchers performed a cross-sectional study using data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health.

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10 Things ADHD Is—and 3 It Isn’t

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is one of those mental health conditions that has become cultural shorthand in a pretty inappropriate way. Ignoring the fact that “I’m so ADHD” isn’t even grammatically correct, throwing this acronym around to flippantly explain distraction or disinterest waters down the true meaning of this extremely nuanced disorder…To dispel some of…

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Study Shows Efficacy of Mindfulness Meditation in Treating Adults With ADHD

Mindfulness meditation is effective in treating adults with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders…Practicing mindfulness is a 2-step approach that involves orienting one’s attention purposefully to a moment, and then approaching the moment with curiosity and open-mindedness. This model has been used as an effective therapy…

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Real-World School-Based Interventions May Ease Homework Challenges for Children with ADHD

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered 2 brief school-based interventions for adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be effective in helping students overcome homework and organization challenges related to their ADHD. The researchers, led by Joshua M. Langberg, PhD, director of the Promoting Adolescent School Success (PASS) program, and co-director for the Center for…

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ADHD Meds, Seizures May Not Be Linked

Medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — including methylphenidate (Ritalin) — may be associated with lower risk of seizures, a retrospective observational study suggested. While patients with ADHD were at higher odds for seizures than patients without ADHD, medication prescriptions for the disorder were associated with lower seizure odds of among patients with and without seizure…

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From Distracted to Decided – What do you value?

For many ADHDers, making a decision and sticking to it is extra difficult. Distraction gets in the way: You decide to do one task, but another comes along and distracts you…Regularly reviewing what you value helps prioritize your “to do list” and direct your activity down the most productive avenue.

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Want to Enrich Students’ Reading Lives? Don’t Dismiss Audiobooks

I often hear teachers, parents, and students make implicit or explicit comments that reflect a bias against audiobooks…This fall, I facilitated a learning panel for my school’s 5th graders. I invited successful former students with unconventional learning profiles (those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences), to speak about the tools and strategies that they…

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