New Patent for Objective ADHD Test

Boston Life Sciences, Inc. Announces the Issuance of a U.S. Patent Licensed to BLSI by Harvard et al that Covers Methods for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of ADHD

A patent was recently issued to Boston Life Sciences, Inc. for their method of diagnosing ADHD through positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

"The patent claims a variety of diagnostic and monitoring methods for assessing ADHD utilizing labeled compounds that bind to the dopamine transporter and are measured using any imaging technique including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET)."

I am hopeful that an objective test may be available but am reluctant to fully support a diagnostic examination that requires the injection of radioactive isotopes. Because of this, I consider these tests invasive and would not recommend them unless an ADHD child's doctor is having difficulty and needs more testing to provide an accurate diagnosis.

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

Who is Responsible for Checking Warning Labels on ADHD Medications for Children?

Are Black Block Warnings Enough to Protect Our ADHD Child?

The media are still filled with articles covering the FDA's inconsistencies in warning the public about the dangers associated with medications used to treat ADHD.

Who is actually responsible for protecting our children? We are.

In our litigious society, we often expect the government and business to protect us, warn us, and compensate us if we get hurt. Doctors pay huge malpractice insurance fees and are sometimes extremely cautious in their diagnosis and treatment.

Where medications are concerned, the responsibility appears to fall on the FDA and the pharmaceutical company to warn the public about its potential danger. We have come to expect explicit warnings and protection and sometimes absolve ourselves of any responsibility regarding the use of prescription medication.

Why is this? If we give our child over the counter medication, we read the label for dosage information. I also believe that we are more inclined to read about the possible side effects and acknowledge the warnings.

Shouldn't we ask our doctors for all the information - risks, possible side effects, concerns about any medication we give to our ADHD child? If we blindly trust our doctors and the FDA to know what's best for our child, are we really protecting our children?

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

Can a Parent Trust Medications to Treat their ADHD Child?

Will Recent Drug Side Effect Warnings Prevent Parents From Seeking Treatment for Their ADHD Child?

A lot of press attention is being paid to the recent FDA warnings required of ADHD stimulant drug manufacturers. The warnings identify heart risks and aggression as possible side effects.

“The drugs, which include GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) (GSK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Dexedrine and Novartis AG's (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) (NVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Ritalin, must include a warning about the possible risk of sudden death and serious heart problems, Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Susan Bro told Reuters.

The drugs, stimulants that can raise blood pressure, must also include warnings about the risk of behavioral problems such as aggression and mania, she said.”

Click this link for the article, “UPDATE 2-US FDA calls for new warnings on ADHD drugs.”

These warnings follow recent contradictory findings as to whether these types of medications require black box warnings or not. It’s difficult to lend credibility to

I am always cautious about using medications to treat illnesses. I also believe that there are medications that are helpful. I think that parents with ADHD diagnosed children should weigh all the treatment options and risks and make a decision that is best for their family. I would hope that parents continue to seek a doctor’s assistance in treating their child and are not fearful of ADHD diagnosis or treatment because of these additional warnings.

Wishing you all the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

Are You Concerned about ADHD Medications?

Can You Trust Medications Given to ADHD Children?

Recently, many warnings have been issued about the risks associated with medications used by ADHD children and adults. Earlier this month, GlaxoSmithKline issued a warning about the risks of sudden death for persons with preexisting heart conditions.

I understand that those with preexisting heart conditions are in a weakened state already but question how a medication that is prescribed at it's normal dose can cause death.

Here's the letter from GlaxoSmithKline for your review.


All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

Helping ADHD Children with Less Medication

Combination of both medication and behavior is best for ADHD Children

A recent press release by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists supports the necessity of combining behavior therapy and medication for ADHD children as more effective than either alone.

Citing research done by William E. Pelham, Jr., University at Buffalo (State University of New York) Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology, UB College of Arts and Sciences and UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the press release states that medication or behavior therapy alone is not as effective as both together in treatment for ADHD children.

In addition, they were able to significantly reduce the dosage of medication when combined with behavior therapy and still obtain more successful results.

I am encouraged that there is an emphasis on non-medication treatments. Though I acknowledge the effectiveness of medication, I still search for alternative treatments.
I do have a concern with this press release. I know that it is an advertisement but it is in a format that appears more credible.

Click here for the Keep a Child Focused in the Classroom: ADHD Medication is Reduced by Two-Thirds When Combined with Therapy article.

The press release states that the research is recent. However, the research results were announced in May 2005. With all the research being done on ADHD, I would expect ‘recent’ research to cover study results released less than a year ago.

The other concern I have is that the study covered only 27 children. This seems like a small sample on which to base a significant conclusion.

Please note that I am NOT criticizing Dr. Pelham’s work nor am I in disagreement with this association’s claims. I am, however, skeptical about promotion based on research claiming to be recent and research based on only 27 children in the sample.

Nothing would please me more than to see our children benefiting from less medication combined with alterations in parenting behavior. I am disappointed that this press release appears to be the best and most recent that is offered to support this.

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

NEW SCHOOL YEAR TIPS FOR ADHD CHILDREN

Helping your ADHD child succeed in school

A recent article in emaxhealth.com quotes Dr. Diane Treadwell-Deering, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, providing hints to help parents start the school year.

Dr. Treadwell-Deering notes that one of the best strategies for helping your ADHD child is to work as a team with teacher and child.

“"Kids with this disorder, also called ADHD, are often talkative, unorganized, impulsive and easily distracted," said Dr. Diane Treadwell-Deering … "As a result, school time can be extremely difficult for them."

Many parents choose not to inform teachers of their child's ADHD disorder for fear of negatively labeling the student, a decision that could actually hinder the treatment process.””

Click on this link, Parents, Teachers Key To Success for ADHD Students, to read Dr. Treadwell-Deering’s suggestions.

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.
Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com.
To learn more, visit my web site at www.myadhdchild.com

Does "treatment" mean "medication?"

I’ve just read two articles summarizing a study done by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This article by United Press International, briefly describes the study and concludes that about half of the participants may be diagnosed with ADHD and are not given medication.

While I have not yet read the study, it concerns me that a widely read publication would identify the word, “treatment,” as synonymous with “medication.”

From the UPI August 8 article, “Despite a perception that many U.S. children are medicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, about half get no treatment, a study finds.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied 1,610 twins between the ages of 7 and 17. Of those, 359 met full criteria for ADHD: 302 boys and 57 girls.
Dr. Richard D. Todd, a professor of psychiatry and genetics, says 58 percent of boys and about 45 percent of girls who had a diagnosis of full-scale ADHD got any medication at all.

It's possible the untreated children aren't being identified at schools or pediatricians' offices or that their parents are choosing not to put their children on stimulant medication, according to Reich.”

I’m not totally convinced that the only treatment for ADHD is medication. There have been reports from parents that their children have been successful in dealing with ADHD without medication. I’ll need to do much more research to determine the differences between the symptoms of ADHD and their associated effective treatments.

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.
Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com
To learn more, visit my web site at myadhdchild.com

Website for women and girls with ADHD

Lately I’ve been reading more articles about girls with ADHD and their challenges as they differ from the standard ADHD diagnosis for boys. I recently found a source of information that is focused on women and girls with ADHD. Pediatrician, Patricia Quinn, and Clinical Psychologist, Kathleen Nadeau have founded the National Center for Gender Issues and AD/HD (www.ncgiadd.com). This website offers information and resources specifically focused on women and girls. They also offer their website www.addvance.com covering AD/HD issues for individuals and families.

All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for parents and children.
Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com
To learn more, visit my web site at myadhdchild.com

ADHD Report almost complete

I'm currently finishing up a report to help parents sort through the confusion when they're considering a formal ADHD diagnosis. There's so much information out there and many opinions on courses of action. Stay tuned.


All the best,
Debbie

On a quest to find real solutions for challenges facing parents and children.

Contact me at blog@myadhdchild.com

To learn more, visit my web site at myadhdchild.com

Teaching in the ADHD era: Variety of learning disorders make instruction more complex

Evolution of teaching: How are schools adjusting to children with ADHD

This article briefly covers what one school has changed to deal with the increasing number of children with ADHD in the classroom.

There appear to be efforts to customize parts of the education program for children with ADHD and other challenges. Teachers attend training sessions on how to better educate children with ADHD. They are also more flexible in their classroom management.

"As she talks, one of the 19 youngsters repeatedly stands beside his seat, leans onto his desk top, and flips through his textbook before he sits down again. His classmates seem to barely notice.

Across the room, another student silently leaves midway through the class and returns 20 minutes later, from a counseling session.

For McCue-Day, as for most other public school teachers, making a place for kids like those - and others with a variety of learning disorders - is a big part of what the 21st-century classroom is all about."

Please click on this link to view the entire Teaching in the ADHD era: Variety of learning disorders make instruction more complex article.

ADHD: The new stimulant threat

Medications used to treat ADHD children require careful scrutiny

This article asks questions to spur thoughts and discussions focused on whether medications are truly beneficial to ADHD children in the long term. I believe that it's good to ask the tough questions to seek out the truth. I am not supporting the total lack of benefits of medication but will now scrutinize statements made by organizations who are unquestionably in favor of medicating our children who struggle with ADHD.

"An estimated six million of our children are taking powerful prescription amphetamines known to speed freaks as the champagne of uppers. And everybody wants the kids to take more, more, more!
A recent report from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), says the number of U.S. kids taking methylphenidate (brand names Ritalin, Metadate and Concerta) has skyrocketed, thanks to greedy drug companies, impatient parents, overwhelmed school systems and prescription-happy doctors. Although methylphenidate was banned in Sweden in 1968 and is considered a Schedule II controlled substance (like cocaine, morphine, opium and barbiturates), it has become the “drug of choice” in America for treating Attention Deficit Disorder — a diagnosis that teachers, doctors and parents eagerly slap on energetic kids who act up in class."

Please click on this link to view the rest of the ADHD: The new stimulant threat article.

Ped Med: Tracing ADHD's history

Historical evolution of ADHD diagnosis and treatment

Here’s an interesting article, part of a series, summarizing the history of ADHD –it’s symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment over the last century.

“SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- By some accounts, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had its clinical coming out in an 1845 children's poem.

The sprightly verse, entitled (in its English translation) "The Story of Fidgety Philip," recounts the calamitous consequences of a young boy's restless antics at the dinner table.

At least one review touts the tale as the first print description of ADHD. The author, a well-known German physician and writer named Heinrich Hoffman, might have thought it a stretch to wriggle such a connotation from a limerick he said he "invented on the spur of the moment, illustrated with a few touches of the pencil and humorously related" as a Christmas gift for his 3-year-old son.

Fast-forward half a century, to 1902, and you arrive at a less disputed point on the ADHD timeline. The year marks the publication by British pediatrician Sir George Still of a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England. Still described a group of impulsive children with defiant deportment, which he blamed on a genetic glitch and dubbed "defect of moral control."

Since then, ADHD-like behaviors have masqueraded under an assortment of aliases and posed in an array of incarnations.”

Please click on this link to view the rest of the Ped Med: Tracing ADHD’s history article.

Fix the diagnosis not the children

ADHD Diagnosis accuracy questioned

Diagnosis accuracy of ADHD is often in doubt. It’s scary that there is a possibility that your child could be misdiagnosed and prescribed potentially harmful drugs. Even scarier is the diagnosis and medicating of toddlers and young children whose brains are still developing. The attached article severely criticizes the use of medication in treating children with ADHD. I am concerned that there has been a large volume of articles on ADHD drug dangers. I truly sympathize with parents who are faced with dealing with ADHD behavior in their children and are pressured to decide whether to medicate their child or not.

“The news that an Edinburgh academic believes Scottish youngsters are handed out "mind-altering" drugs for hyperactivity when in fact their bad behaviour is nothing more than a natural part of growing up will, I'm sure, have alarmed the thousands of parents whose children are currently taking medication such as Ritalin.

Edinburgh University's Dr Gwynedd Lloyd has said decisions to hand out drugs are often made so that parents don't feel guilty about their unruly children and that there is widespread abuse of drugs such as Ritalin.

In fact, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been a source of contention ever since the term was first adopted by committee at the American Psychiatric Association back in 1987.

As the multi-million-dollar ADHD industry has grown, so has the amount of literature describing fundamental flaws in logic and research and pointing out that claims of a neurobiological origin have never been substantiated.”

Please click this link to view the Fix the diagnosis not the children article.

British report finds new risks of ADHD drug

Concerns about ADHD drug Strattera

Here’s an article evaluating a British healthcare regulatory agency’s warning on the ADHD drug Strattera. Lately, there have been a large number of articles on additional warnings for medications prescribed to treat ADHD. While I am not in a position to determine whether any parent’s best choice for their ADHD child includes medication, I am hopeful that parents carefully evaluate any medication’s risks and warnings and continue to monitor any additional news related to that medication.


“There are new safety concerns about the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder drug Strattera, widely used in Europe and the United States. It’s already been linked to rare cases of liver damage and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

British authorities have associated Strattera with seizures and a potentially dangerous lengthening of the time between heartbeats, called QT interval prolongation, in a handful of the more than 3.7 million people who have used the drug since it hit the market in November 2002.

The warnings are based on an internal report by the British Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

Please click here for the rest of the British report finds new risks of ADHD drug article.

Ped Med: Diagnosing attention deficits

Summary of Hundreds of ADHD Reports and Review of ADHD Survey

This article summarizes a review of hundreds of ADHD reports and a survey of over 200 specialists in ADHD.

It concludes that diagnosis of ADHD is difficult even for professionals and that primary care physicians are often not trained thoroughly in ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

"Diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder can be fraught with frustrations.

For one thing, there are too few specialists trained and experienced in the intricately complex art of separating sure signs of mental illness from the widely ranging behaviors that fall within the healthy range of children's development.

The physician making the call must rely primarily on subjective observations. There is no reliably accurate medical test that detects the confounding condition, which can mimic other disorders, such as depression and anxiety, as well as resemble normal childish comportment.

The potential for error is rising as insurers' belt-tightening in benefits shrinks the accessibility to specialists and the time availability of pediatricians, who now see the bulk of the cases.

"The reliability of diagnosis is pretty high among experts, but pediatricians and internists and primary-care physicians need more training -- and more time -- to identify these problems," said pediatric psychopharmacologist Ronald Brown. He is dean of the College of Health Professions and professor of public health, psychology and pediatrics at Temple University Health Sciences Center in Philadelphia as well as author of "Medications for Children: A Guide for the Practitioner" (Guilford Press). "

Click here for the rest of the Ped Med: Diagnosing attention deficits article.