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The American Academy of Pediatrics has broadened its guidelines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, expanding the age range for diagnosis and treatment to ages 4 through 18.
While the previous guidelines, from 2000 and 2001, targeted children ages 6 to 12, the new report covers children from preschool to the end of high school. This is based on recent evidence that supports including preschool children and adolescents in ADHD diagnosis and treatment management.
"The primary care clinician should initiate an evaluation for ADHD for any child 4 though 18 years of age who presents with academic or behavioral problems and symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity," the report said.
Children as young as 4 are already receiving diagnoses of ADHD, but with this report the American Academy of Pediatrics codifies how to approach preschoolers with these symptoms, said Dr. Jonathan Posner, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School.
Diagnoses of ADHD are on the rise, with 9% of children having it in 2007-2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's an increase from previous estimate of 7%.
For ages 4 to 5, the report recommends behavioral interventions first, but if there's no improvement and the child has moderate to severe symptoms, the stimulant drug methylphenidate (marketed as Ritalin, Concerta and others) may be used.
C, I totally agree with you! Parents are lazy these days! For all the parents out there medicating their 4 year olds or thinking about it, put on your big boy/girl pants and deal with it! Your kid is 4,5,6 of course they don't have an attention span! Our pediatrician said not to worry about any of this ADHD stuff till kids are at least 9, by then they have been in school for a while and you can give a proper diagnosis, most kids grow out of it also. Start paying attention to your kid, it's called being a parent!
Kids are kids, play with your kids outside or inside, take them to the park, these are mostly just lazy parents. Our son is hyper, has been since day 1, but my husband and I discipline and also have him in activities. He's been racing BMX since he was 3 years old, that wears him out and also gives him exercise. We also play with him. My parents used to tell me to go play outside and not to come in till dark, what is wrong with parents now a days???
I agree with you! I understand a lot of kids probably do need medication, but for the most part, it's parents not wanting to deal with hyper kids. My son is 6 and is always bouncing off the walls, but he's a kid, he's supposed to do that.
4 yr old can NOT have ADHD! It's called being 4!! "Behavioral interventions include parent-training programs, which may involve learning how to deliver positive reinforcement, helping a child stay organized and generally managing a child." – That's called parenting. Too many may be waiting til the child is a teen to 'parent' them…? The Age of The Ritalin Rats is at hand!!!
It's a lot easier to pop your kid a pill than to put in the effort to take them to a park or outdoors, or even (GASP!) play with them for a while. I had "ADHD" as a child as well, but my mother cured it by kicking me outside for most of the day during the summer so I could run around like a little monster, ride my bike, swing… and limiting my tv time instead of pretending that it was another parent.
Listen….you have bought into all the hype and myths. There is NO SUCH THING as ADHD!….PERIOD!…That is a absolute 100% fact!……We have got to stop this and expose these drug companies and doctors for what they are doing. My doctor friend also says this is the biggest scam going and most doctors agree.
No one questions if people with ADD or ADHD could handle university work–of course they can. The problems that I can see are that the resources for college students with disabilities are stretched so thin that it is almost like having no resources. At the campus my daughter attends, most of the students with disabilities are those with ADD or ADHD. All disabled students are requested to "self-advocate" for themselves, which translates to "you're on your own, kid". My daughter happens to have epilepsy. If there are even more persons diagnosed with ADD and ADHD in the future, the pathetic resources allotted for students with disabilities will be spread thinner still.
You have no clue
I have a diagnoses for a hyperactive 4 year old – It's called being 4 years old.
I had much of the same experience. My grades were pretty terrible though, I doodled more than I did my classwork, and still can't pay attention to anything that I can't hold in my hands for more than a few minutes at most. I'm glad I wasn't diagnosed until later though, because I had to learn to cope with my ADD without it. I only take medication once in awhile if I know I'm going to have to sit through training or something. If I had been medicated when I was a small child, I'd be hooked on it. Maybe not physically, but I would be dependent on it to live my life in the way I was used to. Medication should be a choice, not forced on kids who are going to need to cope one day without it.
I have a child with ADHD and I am going to tell you that I am so angry at the parents who medicate their kids. Why? Because they have created a false sense of normal in our society today. If people stopped medicating and started pushing healthier interventions then the school system and our society would be a much friendlier place for all children – those with hyper sensitive nervous systems and the like. I would take a child (like mine) who wears me down, isn't always great socially and doesn't perform up to expectations in school any day over one who is drugged. Shame on any parent who uses this horrible "medication" on their 4 year old.
Lucky you, others are not so fortunate.
You need a chill pill.
No – I'm not going to keep my mouth shut. I'm going to voice my opinion and speak up on ANY TOPIC I DAMN WELL PLEASE. You want people to shut up move to a communist country because for now this is still a FREE COUNTRY!
They want a medicated, easily controlled population. We can't have anyone thinking for themselves. My boys aren't going to be perfectly behaved 100% of the time. They are bright, independent children. The powers that be don't want that. They want Sheeple, so they can continue to push the herd in whatever direction they choose.
if you dont have a child with ADHD then you should keep your mouth closed. It not about taking them to the park to run around.
Well said. It's hard when so many people negatively judge something they do not personally experience.
Sigh. I usually don't like to read any ADHD related articles on here, because of all the comments saying "ADHD isn't real, it's just poor parenting/poor diet/too much video games/etc." I finally decided to read this article, and comment for once.
BY ALL MEANS…LETS TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO POP A PILL IF THEY DON'T FIT IN! THEN WONDER WHY THEY BECOME DRUGGIES! LETS MEDICATE THEM TO BE SLOWER, LESS INTUITIVE,, LESS CREATIVE, MORE ADMINABLE TO CURRENT LOCAL SOCIAL NORNS. LETS MAKE SURE THEY DON'T ASK QUESTIONS THAT STIMULATE MORE QUESTIONS. LETS PRODUCE MORE DOCILE, ROBOT ADULTS WHO DO AS THEY ARE TOLD AND NOT PROTEST IN THE STREETS! WHAT HAPPENS TO THE VISUAL LEARNER WHEN SHE/HE IS STUCK IN A ROOM WITH AN AUDITORY TEACHER/PARENT WHO DOES NOTHING BUT TALK? ACT OUT? DOODLE AND DRAW?
GAZE OUT THE WINDOW? CAUSE 'TROUBLE'? WHAT ABOUT THE KID THAT LEARNS THRU
TOUCHING/FEELING/PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER? WILL HE RACE AROUND THE ROOM CAUSING MAYHEM? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD WHO LEARNS FROM THE WHOLE TO THE PARTS..NOT LIKE OUR SCHOOLS…BITS AND PIECES…MEMORIZE THEM BUT BE UNABLE TO USE THEM. LIKE PHONICS..BITS AND PIECES AND THE KID WILL NEVER READ!! WE NEGATE THE VERY CORE OF OUR CHILDREN AND THEN WONDER WHY THEY ACT OUT AND DON'T COMPLY! HOW DID I GET SO SMART? I AM ONE!!! A VISUAL, RIGHT BRAINED LADY WHO BUSTED OUT OF THE SYSTEM 71 YEARS AGO!
How utterly ridiculous. How about having kids go outside and play to burn off some excess energy. Kids weren't meant to just sit in a classroom at a desk – none of us were! We gripe when our kids are too active, we gripe when they're not active enough – GIVE THE KIDS A BREAK AND LET THEM GO PLAY! I find it interesting that you don't see kids play in neighborhoods anymore – everything is an organized activity. Kids aren't ever just allowed to be creative, and lose themselves in creative interaction with other kids. No running and playing outside anymore, not without adult supervision – which quite frankly puts quite a damper on a child's (or anyone's) ability to be creative. Let the Children Play!!! It's where they get their social skills from, their ability to stand up for themselves, their ability to interact with others, LET THEM PLAY! And stop giving them these disgusting drugs – we have drug induced obese kids that have no idea how to interact with others unless it's in a controlled environment. Horrible, absolutely horrible.
Oops. I meant NOT condemned as a whole.
I think that this is a hard subject to deal with and that each child really is an individual case. Yes there are some kids who are misdiagnosed by those who don't want to take the time or the effort to give their child the need focused attention, but there are also those who like my child have ADD and still need that little bit of help from her medication. I would work with her extensively and her teachers very closely to provide her with help, but no matter how much time we devote she would still have her anxiety and lack of focus spells that we could not get over. I hope with the amount of CBT that I provide her and the extra work I put in at home and school on her behalf, she will one day be moved off her medication. But that can only come with time, training and a little bit of help for now. I also feel that a lot of parents like myself who have tried and still are trying to work with our children are made to feel bad and guilty for our decisions, as though we haven't tried hard enough or given enough of ourselves to our children. This kind of guilt just make me feel sad and that though I am devoting my best to my child it isn't enough by society's standards. I think that each case should be judged individually and now condemned as a whole.
Are diagnoses of ADHD "on the rise" because the definition has expanded again? Better consider giving the teachers ritalin so they can keep up with the kids…because as Kirkegaard said; "When you label me, you negate me". Live with Intention, DrBillTothCom/blog
Total BS!
I have ADHD, but it was missed in me until I was an adult. I'm actually thankful I was never sent to a doctor for it as a child. I was actually misdiagnosed as bipolar as an older teen, and the medication almost destroyed my life until I finally took myself off of it. Had I been put through that as a child, with all the medications and doctors and labels, I probably would not have had the ability to get where I am now. I really think we have to think about whether every problem needs a pill and a bunch of interventions. What happened to growing up and learning to deal with things? Yes, I take Ritalin now and it's extremely helpful, but I honestly feel I would not have developed my hard work ethic and ability to compensate for obstacles I encounter had I been labeled and put on medication as a child. I also chose to take it rather than being told to/forced to. I understand treating children who are very severe, but it seems like everything negative is now a disorder instead of a learning experience. Also, it seems that our classroom environment is only acceptable of what society considers "normal", with no room to be a bit different. I know from my own experience that without being diagnosed I still found ways to compensate for it. I'd take away distractions, force myself to concentrate by manipulating my surroundings, and so forth. It's also neglected that ADHD also can have an element of "hyperfocus", where something is focused on to a higher than normal extent, especially on things the person likes. For me, that was extremely helpful in the field I am in. There are often issues at home that would be better addressed than giving a pill. And then when you consider the issue of misdiagnosis, which I personally know happens, it seems so risky to be giving children strong medications whether for ADHD or anything else when they can cause a misdiagnosed person to actually have disorders they never had. I see the validity of medication in adults who can make risk/benefit assessments and children who are severe and everything else has been tried, but I think it's gotten to the point of being an easy fix that fits into our society's mentality of not wanting to deal with anything or learn through hard experiences.
BS, I was diagnosed with ADD, but I was just a kid who went to 10 different schools (was raised by the television) and had an unstable hectic single parent home. Disciplined parenting healthy diet and a stable home life is more a remedy than pills.
When my kids get over excited, that means it's time to get them over to the park for some softball or football. After a couple of hours of burning off all that excess energy, their so wiped out that all they want to do is eat, (like a pack of buzzards), and take a nap. What the heck is so wrong with the old school methods? Why are we becoming so dependent on pills?
ADULT STEM CELLS CURE'S AIDS / HIV and A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS BUT WHY????? IS AMERICA BEING HELD BACK FROM THE MAJOR LEAP IN MEDICINE DOES AMERICA WANT TOO KILL YOU ??????? OTHER COUNTRIES MAKING MAJOR LEAPS INTO MEDICINE BUT AMERICA IS STILL IN THE STONE AGE WHY????? WHO BENEFITS THE FDA BIG CORPORATIONS …….?