ADHD in the News 2019-10-03
Raising Awareness for ADHD in October
Seventeen million children and adults in the United States are currently living with ADHD, a neurodevelopment disorder that is defined by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. 1,2 Each October, ADHD Awareness Month is recognized with different events, activities, and resources to continue shining the light on the condition.
Updated ADHD guideline addresses evaluation, diagnosis, treatment from ages 4-18
The release of revised AAP guidelines for the care of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) offers clinicians updates and opportunities as they strive to provide excellent care.
Pediatricians Stand By Meds For ADHD, But Some Say Therapy Should Come First
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on Monday that uphold the central role of medication, accompanied by behavioral therapy, in ADHD treatment. However, some parents, doctors and researchers who study kids with ADHD say they are disappointed that the new guidelines don't recommend behavioral treatment first for more children, as some recent research has suggested might lead to better outcomes.
Free Tool Helps Providers Implement New ADHD Guidelines
A web-based technology that helps pediatricians, parents and educators improve the quality of care for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is being offered for free to pediatric primary care practices nationwide by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. This technology has the potential to help providers implement the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recently released and updated ADHD clinical practice guideline.
Genetics and brain imaging being combined to better understand ADHD
“Some studies say around five per cent of children at some point show signs of ADHD,” says Lawson Health Research Institute Scientist Dr. Lena Palaniyappan. However, due to the fact there is no objective testing for this condition it can be hard to properly diagnose...“One of the things we were interested in was to understand why some children respond to treatment and why others don’t. So we were looking at genetic aspects of the disease and wanted to see how the brain gets affected when some genes are different in these children.”
More U.S. kids being diagnosed with autism, ADHD
More U.S. children today have developmental disabilities like autism and ADHD than a decade ago, though improved recognition may be a major reason, according to a government study. Researchers found that between 2009 and 2017, the percentage of U.S. children and teens with a developmental disability rose from just over 16% to nearly 18%. Increases in ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and autism spectrum disorders accounted for most of the change.
Are kids with ADHD getting followup care in Medicaid? (VIDEO)
A study recently published by the Department of Health and Human Services revealed that many Medicaid and rural children who were treated for ADHD did not receive recommended follow-up care.
Understanding how parents of children with ADHD experience more lifetime stress
Parenting is hard work. Parenting a child who struggles with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is even more difficult. Dara Babinski, a clinical psychologist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, is using data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study to learn how parents of children with an ADHD diagnosis often experience more lifetime stress than parents of children who don't have that diagnosis.
Eating Fish During Pregnancy Linked To Lower Risk Of ADHD In Kids, Study Says
A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology Wednesday found that children around 8 years of age, whose mothers ate four servings of nutrient rich fish a week, scored 16 percent higher on attention span testing, according to the Daily Mail. Oily fish like salmon and mackerel seemed to have the biggest effect when eaten during the first trimester of pregnancy, a time when most of the brain development takes place, according to Stanford Children's Health.
Pregnancy Much More Likely for Teen Girls With ADHD
Girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are six times more likely to wind up as teenage moms, a new Swedish study reports. The impulsiveness and disorganization associated with ADHD appear to make girls with the disorder more likely to become pregnant, said lead researcher Charlotte Skoglund, a clinical neuroscientist with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm...The findings were published Oct. 2 in JAMA Network Open.