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Arti Lal, MD, a pediatrician who specializes in treating patients at the ADHD Clinic at Scott & White in North Austin, is currently utilizing a new technology on patients which is called the Quotient® ADHD Test. It is FDA-cleared for the objective measurement of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, as an aid in the assessment of ADHD. The test measures motion and analyzes shifts in attention state to give an assessment of the core symptom areas of ADHD: • Hyperactivity • Impulsivity • Inattention "Since ADHD shares traits with other mental health conditions, it can be difficult to diagnose. So, a thorough assessment by a trained professional is critical. The test is a more objective test than previous methods of diagnosis and will serve as an additional tool for us as clinicians," Dr. Lal said. "Testing can be done from age six to 55 years." The test can also be used to quantify severity of deficits in brain function associated with controlling moti...

At least 25 percent of clinic-referred children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have a parent with ADHD. "Parents with ADHD are at increased risk to engage in problematic parenting techniques, including inconsistent disciplinary practices, making ineffectual commands and diminished use of praise," said Dr. James Waxmonsky, associate professor of psychiatry. "Having a parent with ADHD also decreases the chances that children with ADHD will respond to typically effective medication or counseling treatment." The researchers studied 20 parents of children ages 5 to 12, both parents having ADHD. Parents were evaluated to determine their optimal dosage of lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) and then stabilized on the medicine. In the first phase of the study, parents and children were brought into the laboratory on two separate occasions and observed while completing typical parenting tasks. Each standardized interaction consisted of a homework component an...

Now a new study from Tel Aviv Uni versity researchers may provide the objective tool medical professionals need to accurately diagnose ADHD. According to the research, published in  Vision Research , involuntary eye movements accurately reflect the presence of ADHD, as well as the benefits of medical stimulants that are used to treat the disorder. Keeping an eye on the eyes Dr. Moshe Fried, Dr. Anna Sterkin, and Prof. Uri Polat of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Tamara Wygnanski-Jaffe, Dr. Eteri Tsitsiashvili, Dr. Tamir Epstein of the Goldschleger Eye Research Institute at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and Dr. Yoram S. Bonneh of the University of Haifa used an eye-tracking system to monitor the involuntary eye movements of two groups of 22 adults taking an ADHD diagnostic computer test called the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). The exercise, which lasted 22 minutes, was repeated twice by each participant. The first group of participants, diagnosed with ADH...

We know that poor people and racial minorities a re incarcerated at higher rates than the rest of the population, and incarceration adversely affects the health and development of children who are already experiencing significant challenges," said study author Kristin Turney, an assistant professor of sociology at UC Irvine. When comparing children with similar demographic, socioeconomic , and familial characteristics, the study found that having a parent in prison or jail was linked to a greater incidence of attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), behavioral or conduct problems, learning disabilities, speech or other language problems, and developmental delays. "The results suggest that children's health disadvantages are an overlooked and unintended consequence of mass incarceration," Turney said. "In addition, given its unequal distribution across the population, incarceration may have implications for racial and ...

Which shirt do we put on in the morning? Do we drive to work or take the train? From which takeaway joint do we want to buy lunch? We make hundreds of different decisions every day. Even if these often only have a minimal impact, it is extremely important for our long-term personal development to make decisions that are as optimal as possible. People with ADHD often find this difficult, however. They are known to make impulsive decisions, often choosing options which bring a prompt but smaller reward instead of making a choice that yields a greater reward later on down the line . Researchers from the University Clinics for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, now reveal that different decision-making processes are responsible for such suboptimal choices and that these take place in the middle of the frontal lobe. Mathematical models help to understand the decision-making processes In the study, the decision-making processes in 40 young people with and without A...

The authors word that, whereas genetic components are identified to play a considerable function in autism, precisely how that danger could also be exacerbated by environmental components isn't nicely understood. Whereas animal research and investigations based mostly on well being information have advised an elevated danger related to prenatal antidepressant publicity, others discovered no such affiliation. Credit score: © milosducati / Fotolia Earlier research which have advised an elevated danger of autism amongst youngsters of girls who took antidepressants throughout being pregnant may very well replicate the identified elevated danger related to extreme maternal melancholy. In a examine receiving advance on-line publication in  Molecular Psychiatry , investigators from Massachusetts Normal Hospital (MGH) report that -- whereas a prognosis of autism spectrum dysfunction was extra frequent with...

Finding a safe and effective treatment for children who are a physical threat to siblings, other children, or adults, is a difficult and trying experience for families. Studies show that physical aggression is a common reason for bringing children to mental health clinics. For children with ADHD who are aggressive, the combination of stimulation therapy and behavioral management training for parents reduces their violent behaviors. Yet, some children remain a threat. One theory is that an additional medication to control aggression may further help alleviate their aggression. However, controversy remains whether this dual-drug strategy is effective and safe. To address this problem, Stony Brook researchers and their colleagues at The Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh, and Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, conducted the "Treatment of Severe Childhood Aggression (TOSCA)" Study. It involved 168 children ages 6 to 12 who had been diagnosed with ADHD and d...

A new study from Michigan State University and University of Vermont researchers shows that offering daily before-school, aerobic activities to younger at-risk children could help in reducing the symptoms of ADHD in the classroom and at home. Signs can include inattentiveness, moodiness and difficulty getting along with others. The study can be found in the  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. "Early studies suggest that p hysical activity can have a positive effect on children who suffer from ADHD," said Alan Smith, chairperson of MSU's Department of Kinesiology, who conducted the research along with lead author Betsy Hoza, a psychologist from the University of Vermont. Previous MSU research has shown improved brain function and better math and reading skills in elementary students who were exposed to a bout of physical activity. Yet, it's not as widely known how consistent exercise might improve the broad range of symptoms and impairments associated with ...

By analyzing a whole bunch of fMRI mind scans of kids with ADHD and people with out, the researchers recognized key connections between mind networks that matured extra slowly in ADHD brains. Credit score: Sripada lab, College of Michigan A peek contained in the brains of greater than 750 kids and teenagers reveals a key distinction in mind structure between these with consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction and people with out. Children and teenagers with ADHD, a brand new examine finds, lag behind others of the identical age in how rapidly their brains kind connections inside, and between, key mind networks. The consequence: less-mature connections between a mind community that controls internally-directed thought (akin to daydreaming) and networks that permit an individual to deal with externally-directed duties. That lag in connection improvement could assist clarify why folks with ADHD...

Published as a research letter in the Sept. 22 edition of  JAMA Pediatrics , the study is the first to document the substantial variation in receipt of talk therapy among U.S. children treated with ADHD medication, varying more than six-fold across counties in the United States. For many children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, medication alone can manage symptoms. But evidence shows that some affected children do better and can take lower doses of stimulant medications when they receive behavioral therapy along with ADHD drugs. "Treatment of ADHD in children generates lots of controversy, primarily because of potential for overuse and abuse of stimulant medications," said Dr. Walid F. Gellad, the study's lead author and an adjunct scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "We wanted to find out among those who receive ADHD medications, how many are also receive billed psychotherapy services? The answer is few, but it actually depends...