My hope is that these guidelines will eventually address children’s physical activity requirements. If so, this could help us win the battle against ADHD children missing recess during the school day. Perhaps this is one small step in the right direction……

Associated Press - October 26, 2006
WASHINGTON - There’s a food pyramid to help guide people’s eating habits, so why not one for exercise? The Bush administration said Thursday it would develop guidelines for physical activity.

When the guidelines are ready in late 2008, federal health officials hope they will help people live healthier lifestyles, which in turn, could slow soaring health care costs.

“Obesity is an epidemic, and chronic disease inevitably follows. It has become a major quiet killer,” said Mike Leavitt, the health and human services secretary.

More than half of adults in the United States do not get enough of the kind of physical activity that actually benefits them. One-quarter are not active at all in their leisure time. Overall, more than 60 million adults are obese, Leavitt said.

(more…)

Finally, more information coming about preschoolers and medication:

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treatment with methylphenidate reduces the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers and most children tolerate this treatment well, new research suggests. However, the benefit from the drug may be smaller than that observed in school-age children.

Methylphenidate, a mild central nervous system stimulant, is sold as

Ritalin, Methylin and under other trade names. It is available in intermediate and long-acting formulations, and comes in tablet, chewable and liquid form.

“These results give us the missing links in the decision to prescribe a drug that’s been widely used off-label in preschool-age children,” study co-author Dr. Mark Riddle, from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, said in a statement.

(more…)

I found this interesting article reporting on the benefits of Ritalin in preschoolers. Given how long Ritalin has been in the public, this study feels long over due!

The first long-term government study of preschoolers who take Ritalin, the popular attention deficit disorder drug, warns of side effects but also found benefits in children with severe problems.

The first long-term government study of preschoolers who take Ritalin, the popular attention deficit disorder drug, warns of side effects but also found benefits in children with severe problems.

The drug isn’t approved for use in children under age 6, and the researchers said those youngsters need close monitoring. Preschoolers are more likely than older children to develop side effects, experts said.

(more…)

From an article in The Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

Some tips for adults with ADD:

• Use internal structure, such as datebooks, planners, lists, color-coding, reminder notes and regular routines.
• Choose “good addictions,” using exercise or other healthy activities to “blow off steam.”
• Design projects to minimize frustration: Break down large tasks into smaller ones and set priorities.
• Take a time-out to calm down and regain perspective when you’re upset, overwhelmed or angry.
• Ask colleagues and partners to use humor and sensitivity as they push you to stay on track.
• Learn more about ADD and become an advocate for people who cope with the disorder.

Another interesting article:

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) — In the two years before and after they’re diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), children with the condition typically use more health-care services than other children, U.S. research shows.It also found that white children with ADHD accumulate more expenses than other children with the disorder.

Researchers in California analyzed health-care costs for more than 3,100 children, aged 2 to 10, who were diagnosed with ADHD between 1996 and 2004. They then compared those expenditures to health-care costs for more than 15,000 children without ADHD.

Compared to children without ADHD, those with the condition had average health care costs that were $488 higher in the second year before their diagnosis, $678 higher in the year before diagnosis, $1,328 higher in the year following diagnosis, and $1,040 higher in the second year after diagnosis.

Compared with white children with ADHD, Asian, black and Hispanic children showed lower annual costs for ADHD medications. Overall spending on ADHD services for Asian children was 30 percent lower ($221) than for white children, the study found.

The study was published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

“Parents commonly state that behavioral problems predate their child’s ADHD diagnosis, often by several years, and these problems may affect their use of health services,” said a team led by G. Thomas Ray of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland.

“In our study sample, costs were significantly higher in the two years before the index date among children subsequently diagnosed with ADHD, and costs remained higher for at least two years following the initial ADHD diagnosis,” the researchers noted. “Much of the excess cost was due to increased pediatric and psychiatric services, which were higher in the first year after diagnosis than in the second year.”

Cultural acceptance of ADHD diagnosis and treatment could explain ethnic differences in costs and use of ADHD medications, the study authors said.