Extra! Extra! Read All About It! AAP Updates ADHD Guidelines for Children ages 4-18
Until this month, parents of pre-schoolers who ‘knew’ that their family needed help were simply told that it was not possible to identify ADHD in a child that young. They were told that all children develop at different paces, all special in their own way, and that even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) didn’t recognize ADHD in children under the age of 6! They were admonished to be “better parents”, to be more organized, more disciplined, more consistent at home.
Previous AAP guidelines published in 2000 and 2001 covered children from only ages 6-12. Parents who lived with a hyperactive or daydreaming pre-schooler knew what the experts wouldn’t yet confirm, until now, that indeed AD/HD is observable in children as young as 4 years old. Now, thanks to new guidelines released this month by the AAP, parents seeking help for their children from ages 4-18 can be provided with the tools and become part of the team along with pediatricians,therapists, and teachers who can follow the newly formulated guidelines for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.
Parents of pre-schoolers were previously advised to eliminate foods, get excercise, get sleep, set more routines, give more hugs. These are all noble suggestions that can benefit any busy young family. But parents of ADHD children know that they can talk ’til they are blue in the face, and if their child’s brain chemicals aren’t zinging in response, there’s no end to the battles that can ensue.
While no one is reccomending an automatic jump to medication before trying behavioral interventions first, especially with the very young child, it will be a welcome relief to the parents of pre-school aged children to at least be able to acknowledge that there is a reason for their child’s disposition and behavior. Just knowing that their child is not deliberately behaving in ways contrary to the parents’ house-rules can have an enormous impact on that family. Being able to say, “It’s the ADHD” instead of ”she’s such a bad kid, and is totally disrespecting my parental authority” can lighten the family’s load, and at the same time change the tone of the messages that the child infers about herself from being constantly re-directed.
The new guidelines are part of a report being published in the November 2011 issue of Pediatrics, whose lead author Mark Wolraich, MD, FAAP
says, “Treating children at a young age is important, because when we can
identify them earlier and provide appropriate treatment, we can increase their
chances of succeeding in school.” Dr.Wolraich also offers for consideration that, “Because of greater awareness about ADHD and better ways of diagnosing and treating this disorder, more children are being helped.”
Information for parents is available at www.healthychildren.org/adhd and
a new 2011 edition of the book entitled ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to
Know can be purchased from that website.
Pediatricians have lots of children’s health issues to keep up with. If your pediatrician hasn’t heard about the new ADHD guidelines that include children as young as 4 years old, you may suggest that s/he contact the AAP to request the newly revised and updated ADHD toolkit for healthcare providers that is being released to concide with the latest research report published in the November 2011 issue of the AAP journal Pediatrics.
Debbie
~Debbie
You are doing a great service for parents as well as pediatricians.
Thanks Mary. I think that docs are often as frustrated as some parents when their hands are tied by incomplete or outdated science. News like this opens the door for refreshed discussions.