Are children with ADHD at higher risk for substance abuse? The answer to this question depends on a number of factors.  The very nature of ADHD does make one more likely to smoke cigarettes, have conduct problems, and abuse substances, as shown by a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology. But not every child with ADHD is guaranteed to have a substance abuse problem. I also believe that this risk can be avoided with proper treatment and parental involvement.

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When an ADHD child can’t finish chores or homework due to lack of focus, yet can spend hours playing video games or watching TV, many parents get confused. How can these kids completely lose themselves in one task and have so much difficulty applying that same concentration on others?  Although ADHD is often the cause, a New York Times article reveals that it has less to do with an attention deficit and more about brain chemistry.

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Maybe it’s the diet we have today, or perhaps it’s the chemicals present in our food and in the air. Whatever it is, more and more people are getting diagnosed with ADHD today.  Or are they really suffering from the disorder? Amid claims of a growing epidemic of ADHD among adults, a new report published in The Clinical Neuropsychologist reveals a surprising fact. Nearly one in four adults who seek medical treatment for the disorder might be faking their ADHD symptoms.

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Children age 12 and below need at least 10 hours of sleep each night, especially if they have ADHD.  Studies have shown that when ADHD children don’t get enough sleep, they become more hyperactive, inattentive, and irritable the following day. But what qualifies as “not enough sleep” and how bad do ADHD symptoms get? A new study in the scientific journal Sleep reveals that as little as one less hour of sleep is enough to make the academic performance of ADHD students deteriorate.

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With every published study that comes out, we develop a deeper understanding of ADHD and find new ways to treat or diagnose this mysterious disorder.  Two new studies on “mirror movements” reveals some interesting clues about childhood ADHD symptoms that may pave the way for a new way of testing for ADHD.

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To most parents of kids with ADHD, the disorder can be nothing but a constant source of frustration.  When their kids have a hard time making friends or staying out of trouble in school, it’s difficult to find the silver lining of this condition. Yet there is an upside to ADHD that was recently confirmed by a new study – ADHD makes people more creative.

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Many parents I’ve spoken to make the same observation about their ADHD children’s sleep habits: they have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up in the morning.  When they don’t get enough sleep the previous night, they spend the rest of the day in an ADHD funk with their symptoms in overdrive. These observations are hardly surprising – sleep problems and ADHD are closely related because the regions of the brain responsible for attention also regulate sleep. While there’s not much you can do to change your child’s biology, there are a few things that can be done to help your child get enough sleep.

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As a parent of a child with ADHD, you’ve probably noticed something I observe among my patients: kids with ADHD don’t do well in the winter.  As fall turns to winter and a blanket of snow covers the streets, kids with ADHD tend to:

• Become more hyperactive or impulsive as they grow increasingly restless. In the winter, they have fewer opportunities to burn excess energy or do activities they enjoy outside of school or at home.
• Become more argumentative and oppositional due to the inability to use their regular coping skills, such as outdoor activities or sports, to help them vent their feelings and burn off excess energy.
• Become more distracted and inattentive, resulting in difficulties doing homework or completing errands and chores.
• Experience more disciplinary or legal trouble as their frustration, restlessness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity increases.

Does this sound like your child?

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If your child’s kindergarten teacher brings up the possibility that your child might have ADHD, don’t panic just yet.  A new study suggests that one in five kids may be misdiagnosed with ADHD simply because they are the youngest in their class.

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If children with ADHD are more likely to get injured in the playground, are ADHD teens of driving age at higher risk for motor vehicle accidents as well?  It seems that the answer is yes.  Teenage bravado coupled with distractibility, impulsivity, and difficulty with self-regulation can make the ADHD driver a force to reckon with on the road.  Even though a teenager with ADHD may have good knowledge of driving rules, applying these rules may be challenging, especially if he or she gets easily overwhelmed by new stimuli, increased responsibility, and distractions from gadgets.

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