Preschoolers and ADHD Researchby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 09 Aug 2008 10:37 AM
ADHD is listed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a serious public health problem that causes significant impairment in school performance and socialization, and for which there is limited effectiveness of current treatments. Often drugs such as Ritalin or methylpenidate is given to preschoolers with ADHD. The drug acts as a stimulant that boosts attention and curbs impulsiveness and hyperactivity. While these drugs can work for a preschooler, there could be side effects and complications from using the drug. And, the drug doesn't always have the desired effect. New research is working on targeting the specific area of the brain that is responsible for attention. With a smaller more precise target, the chances of finding new drugs and making the old ones work better increases. Recently, scientists in London have found the brain circuits that play a key role in helping people pay attention. This could help researchers find out what goes wrong in the brain that leads to ADHD. The research also has implications for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that behavioral interventions were specifically effective for preschoolers with ADHD. At the very early stages of the disorder (the preschool years), a study conducted at Lehigh University and funded by the NIMH found that parent education either alone or combined with a multicomponent intervention (individualized interventions in the home, in day care or in preschool) was a highly effective treatment. Problem behavior decreased in the children and social skills improved. Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Related Posts: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  Pattie Hughes (7652) 10 Aug 2008 05:00 AMWhen I was taking early childhood ed classes in college, we were told ADD should not be diagnosed in preschool, since most preschoolers exhibit an inability to concentrate and are somewhat hyper. According to some educational psychologists, when it is diagnosed at 3 or 4, it is often a misdiagnosis and contributes to the over diagnosis of ADD, particularly in the US. The fact that drugs often don't work when behavioral interventions do suggests that this is accurate.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 10 Aug 2008 04:47 PMThose are great points. Thanks so much for giving us this information. Do you think that diagnosis for ADHD is getting better? MegfromAllAboutAppearances (330) 14 Aug 2008 05:54 PMADD is an interesting topic for me. I wasn't diagnosed with ADD till college when I realized that I almost certainly had it and that it was making it hard for me to concentrate in lecture classes. Before then, I had always coped by just reading up on the subject enough to pass tests without any problems (even though I'd zone out in class). In fact, I was a straight A student. I chose to go on medication as needed to get me through certain college classes and other times when I've needed to be able to concentrate. For the most part, though, I'm just careful to tell people around me that I have ADD so they don't think I'm ignoring them if I seem off in my own little world. I don't see ADD as a disability per se. Growing up, I had all the signs but because I had a high IQ people around me like my mom always thought that my ability to multi-task and be creative was a great gift -- so the idea that I had a "learning disability" didn't really cross their minds. If I had problems with school I was just "bored" because I was "too smart". And because of that, perhaps, I still value the way my brain works even if it's different than others'. I hate to try to diagnose others, but I definitely see it as a trait that runs in my family and it's interesting to see how it is seen in my relatives. The guys in my family tend to be trouble makers, lol. I've heard it said that they're "too smart for their own good". And if some of them were going to school now, they'd probably be diagnosed with ADD. I still don't know if mine would be caught, though. Girls are still very under-diagnosed I believe. And I don't know if I would have wanted mine to be caught earlier. Sure, it would have helped me understand myself better, but I was lucky and got to find my own ways to cope with most situations. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 15 Aug 2008 03:58 AMMeg, what an amazing person you are. As a little girl you created your own therapy, so to speak and overcame the condition on your own. That is something to be very proud of. Do you think life would have been different had you been diagnosed earlier? MegfromAllAboutAppearances (330) 17 Aug 2008 10:21 AMAwwwww, thanks, Mary! But I can't say it was 'on my own'. My mom was definitely there for me, as were the teachers who didn't mind if I zoned out with a book while they taught so long as I did great work. And I know I'm blessed with a pretty sharp mind that can handle the multitasking (most of the time at least). So, I know that my situation is unique just like everyone else has a unique situation with unique needs. It's hard to know how things might have been different. I think they'd have had a hard time convincing my mom that I had a learning disability regardless and I don't think we could have justified the expense of meds then. One thing is for sure, though, she'd have never let me use it as an excuse. She could be tough on me when it came to grades because she always expected me to do my best in school. She's always wanted a good life for me, including going to college, and she knew that I'd need good scholarships to go to college. Something must have worked because I only got one C ever -- taking high school math middle school, and I had straight A's through high school and college. It was a lot of pressure, but looking back, I really do appreciate that my mom never gave me the option to not succeed and we're both big fans of each other ; ) I look around me at a lot of my friends and I see a lot of really fortunate people making excuse after excuse, while other friends of mine who have faced major hurdles in life push ahead no matter what happens. Andilei (70) 17 Nov 2008 09:20 PMI know that everyone with ADD or ADHD is different, but if a lot more parents were like your's there may not be as many kids diagnosed with it. ADHD is definitely something that kids struggle with everyday, but it is often looked at as a discipline problem. I'm not totally sure on where I stand with it. I think I would need to be exposed to more information on it. However, I do think that ages 3 and 4 may be too young to diagnose ADHD. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 18 Nov 2008 03:50 PMYes, we really have to applaud parents who are advocates for their children! naturalremedy (60) 29 Nov 2008 12:45 PMWith reference to "ADHD". I view psychiatric opinion that, "in the name of help", actually cause untold misery for many children and parents with the prescribing of mind-altering drugs, such as Ritalin. I feel that anybody that either has a child or knows of a child with attention, behavior or learning problems would be well advised to seek alternative, workable, sane treatments (without mind-altering drugs). Please visit http://www.adhdtruth.com/index.html to view the truths on ADHD and mind-altering drugs (like Ritalin), also click on the 'Sources of Help' page (at the same web site) to view many alternative sources of help for children with attention, behavior and learning problems, including many other related resources. Before any parent allows prescribing of psychiatric mind-altering drugs to their child, I earnestly request they carry out all necessary research to arrive at a sound judgement. If you have, or know of a child, already taking one of these mind-altering drugs, I respectfully ask that you contact a very good source that offers alternative, very workable and safe treatment solutions. My best to all, Ray Community Tags adhd, Kids, new research, preschool, Ritalin Discuss this article
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