Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to lag behind their peers long after they leave school, earning less as adults and living with their parents longer, a new study finds. This is often true even if the hallmark symptoms of the disorder -- including inability to focus, hyperactivity, fidgetiness and impulsivity -- appear to have abated...The study was published online recently in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

The general consensus is: yes. “The thinking in the field is ADHD is genetic,” Michael Manos, PhD, head of the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health at Cleveland Clinic, tells Health. Lenard Adler, MD, director of NYU Langone’s adult ADHD program, agrees, adding that ADHD is a “highly heritable disorder.” Dr. Adler tells Health, “We think 80 percent of the transmission is familial.”

A recent study shows that people at low genetic risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not only less likely to have the disorder, they also have better than expected economic, health and behavioral outcomes in later life. The results, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, “capture far more than just the risk and the absence of risk for a psychiatric outcome,” says study author James Li, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of psychology and investigator at the UW’s Waisman Center.

Oh, ADHD. The four letter acronym, which causes new parents and teachers immediate anxiety...Does your child really have it, could it be something else, or are they just going through a rambunctious phase as they figure out the world?...Due to more extensive research, the AAP has recently updated their ADHD guideline, which outlines how and when doctors can diagnose ADHD in children.

Representing the first update in 12 years, an AAP clinical report on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a comprehensive document that is searchable by topic for easy information access. The report, Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, is available at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3447; an executive summary is available at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3448. Both documents, from the Council on Children with Disabilities and Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, will be published in the January issue of Pediatrics.

The relationship between ADHD and motivation is a complex one. While we neurotypicals can often just will ourselves into action, for those with ADHD it’s just not that simple. Before you declare your son to be an immovable force, here are some important points to consider…Motivation may not be the problem.