Some interesting findings from a 20 year ADHD study
Observing my youngest nephew since birth, his parents and I watched their second child exhibit patterns of behavior frankly unknown to any of us. His mother, my sister, had been a quiet, studious and extremely bright and reflective child, working her way up to the rare air of Phi Beta Kappa at Yale. Her husband, the child's father, was also a studious type with a very laid back demeanor. Both are incredibly pleasant, bright and loving people, and great parents. They are both physicians.
From the get go, my nephew never napped. Never. Never sat still, and still cannot sit squarely on his chair for a complete meal. Most of the time, he stands while eating, at times leaning against the back of his chair. He eventually needs to be released like a tightly wound spring part way through the main course to release his energy by moving, moving.
A battery of psychological tests accompanied visits to pediatric neurologists, child psychologists, plain garden variety pediatricians, you name it. The diagnostic testing was expensive and stressful for everyone and rarely gave value for money spent. Diagnoses were vague and typically contained combinations of the words "neurological", "cognitive", "disorder" and "impairment". His IQ is well above normal.
Last year at the age of 7, he was finally diagnosed with ADHD.
By definition, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is very common, being a chronic behavioral disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. It is found in adults and children, and may affect 5 - 10% of the adolescent population.
It was therefore with great personal interest that I read a recently published article from the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It described findings from a 20 year project studying adolescents and ADHD.
Conducted by researchers from the US and Finland, the study tracked nearly 10,000 Finnish children from early fetal stage through adolescence (16 - 18 years old) to document the many facts of ADHD, including diagnosis and management.
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I think the study made some interesting observations on ADHD:
1. The estimated occurrence of ADHD among these adolescents had a male - female ratio of 5.7 to 1.
Wow. This was a real revelation to me.
2. ADHD symptoms change with age. The hyperactivity and impulsivity decrease with age. The inattention increases.
I am not sure if this is a bad or good trade off as the ADHD child matures. What are your thoughts?
3. ADHD is associated with increased rates of later psychiatric problems like depression, anxiety and so-called oppositional behaviors such as arguing and bullying. There also appears to be a correlation of increased rates of civil conduct disorders such as vandalism and school truancy.
How do you feel about these statistics? What are your experiences?
4. Two genes, DBH and DRD2, are involved in the regulation of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in attention, motivation and emotion. It was interesting and exciting that these genes were identified in the ADHD children in the study.
I find this very exciting and very promising--so much is being done with gene therapy now. What are your thoughts on this?
You can review the article at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/94801.php
There are other interesting ADHD observations in the article. Do any stand out for you or touch a personal nerve?
Share with us----so we can learn and support each other through knowledge and experience.
From the get go, my nephew never napped. Never. Never sat still, and still cannot sit squarely on his chair for a complete meal. Most of the time, he stands while eating, at times leaning against the back of his chair. He eventually needs to be released like a tightly wound spring part way through the main course to release his energy by moving, moving.
A battery of psychological tests accompanied visits to pediatric neurologists, child psychologists, plain garden variety pediatricians, you name it. The diagnostic testing was expensive and stressful for everyone and rarely gave value for money spent. Diagnoses were vague and typically contained combinations of the words "neurological", "cognitive", "disorder" and "impairment". His IQ is well above normal.
Last year at the age of 7, he was finally diagnosed with ADHD.
By definition, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is very common, being a chronic behavioral disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. It is found in adults and children, and may affect 5 - 10% of the adolescent population.
It was therefore with great personal interest that I read a recently published article from the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It described findings from a 20 year project studying adolescents and ADHD.
Conducted by researchers from the US and Finland, the study tracked nearly 10,000 Finnish children from early fetal stage through adolescence (16 - 18 years old) to document the many facts of ADHD, including diagnosis and management.
.
I think the study made some interesting observations on ADHD:
1. The estimated occurrence of ADHD among these adolescents had a male - female ratio of 5.7 to 1.
Wow. This was a real revelation to me.
2. ADHD symptoms change with age. The hyperactivity and impulsivity decrease with age. The inattention increases.
I am not sure if this is a bad or good trade off as the ADHD child matures. What are your thoughts?
3. ADHD is associated with increased rates of later psychiatric problems like depression, anxiety and so-called oppositional behaviors such as arguing and bullying. There also appears to be a correlation of increased rates of civil conduct disorders such as vandalism and school truancy.
How do you feel about these statistics? What are your experiences?
4. Two genes, DBH and DRD2, are involved in the regulation of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in attention, motivation and emotion. It was interesting and exciting that these genes were identified in the ADHD children in the study.
I find this very exciting and very promising--so much is being done with gene therapy now. What are your thoughts on this?
You can review the article at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/94801.php
There are other interesting ADHD observations in the article. Do any stand out for you or touch a personal nerve?
Share with us----so we can learn and support each other through knowledge and experience.
Add a Comment
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Comment by Divagayanne on July 18, 2008 at 9:43am - I love that they are doing things with genes and the study shows I am one of the few women Gay Anne Ewing, who has ADHD as a child, no attention in school, loves to read and can excekl in classes:)
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Comment by Patricia Robinett on May 3, 2008 at 8:26pm -
just one question -- was your dear nephew circumcised?
PTSD, ADD, adrenal exhaustion... all sound like fear to me.
i speak from experience, as i was c'd in KS in the 1950s.
see "the rape of innocence" - at amazon.com.
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Comment by Wendy Gammon, M.A., M.Ed. on April 4, 2008 at 7:37pm -
Ah, additives and artificial flavors and colors.
A few weeks ago I had a discussion with my sister and her husband about just this. They have been researching the effects of food additives, and especially hormones given to dairy animals. I know they spoke of going "totally organic" in hopes of removing anything that can potentially exacerbate my nephew's ADHD symptoms. (Remember, the medication route was a total disaster for them, so they are looking at other areas for ADHD therapy.)
When you think of it---dairy products are into SOO many products children enjoy---from milk to burgers to cheeses (which he loves), so this deserves a second look. If this is a factor, the impact could be huge considering the foods involved.
I will find out what I can about this and report back. In the meantime, what has anyone else learned about injected hormones, artificial (chemical) colors or other food additives?
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Comment by Jennifer Cochran-Biederman, MS, MA on April 4, 2008 at 5:34pm -
Hi Wendy. Interesting information!
I'm curious if you've come across any studies or research that link ADHD with artificial colors and flavors? Someone in one of my education classes mentioned it recently, and it sparked my interest, but I haven't had time to follow up.
Just curious!
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Comment by Wendy Gammon, M.A., M.Ed. on April 4, 2008 at 5:28pm
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Thanks Paula! I will follow up and read the information provided on girls and ADHD, thanks.
One of the points you made is voiced in the article as well--that the statistics reporting ADHD occurrences can be misleading because the criteria for diagnosing ADHD is different for different doctors, clinical specialties, genders and cultures. ADHD diagnosis, as we learned for my nephew, is a black art.
And yes, the "classic" ADHD behaviors are often not observed in pre-adolescent girls. One of my first jobs out of college was teaching a 5th grade class. It seemed as if I had at least one child---a boy---each year who was "hyperactive" (ADHD as a term wasn't used then). Never a girl. The girls at that age were really more controlled in their outward social group behavior, unlike the boys who were, well, boys. I had to keep a sharp eye out all the time! But looking back, there were girls in my class who had emotional problems leading to behavioral problems that were manifested out of the classroom and at home. I had many upset parents during parent conferences worried about their daughters but for mostly emotional, rather than behavioral issues. And some of those girls went on to have behavioral problems in high school. Many of the "hyperactive" boys did too, but many were also channeled into sports or music as I recall, and actually turned out OK. It seemed to depend on their support systems at home and school.
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