Girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are at higher risk than girls without ADHD for multiple mental disorders that often lead to cascading problems such as abusive relationships, teenage pregnancies, poor grades and drug abuse, psychologists report in the journal Pediatrics.

[Registration required for free full access] For years, clinicians have suspected that diet may affect ADHD symptoms, and in recent years, research has suggested a potential impact of various aspects of diet on ADHD. This research includes examining the use of elimination diets, as well as studying the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients on the disorder. Our knowledge in this area has begun to coalesce, and new directions have been illuminated.

[Registration required for free full access] Lead’s effects on childhood IQ, ADHD, and conduct problems as well as physical health have been of concern for decades. We now know a great deal about how lead affects the brain, including disruption of signaling in the prefrontal cortex and striatum.

Reports on studies about the possible causes of ADHD have been circulating the World Wide Web for quite awhile. But a recent study was published suggesting that enough evidence was gathered pointing to artificial food coloring as the trigger...Since this occurrence is still under the impression of being a "case to case basis," precautions were provided. Now this boils down to the question on how will the parents know if food additives are affecting the child's focus.

The U.S. Department of Education has told Texas to stop using 8.5 percent as a guideline for special education enrollment, in the wake of a report from the Houston Chronicle that suggested identification rates across the state were artificially kept low.

Hyperfocus is something in between a rumor and a symptom. Among people with ADHD, it’s a commonly recognized phenomenon. Anecdotally, many people with ADHD can’t concentrate on some things but concentrate “too much” on others. Still, it’s a stretch to say hyperfocus is a straight-up symptom of ADHD because there’s no mention of it in diagnostic guides and surprisingly little research has been done on it.