ADHD continues to occur at epidemic levels in our society.  Thirty-five years ago, only a handful of children and teens were considered to have what at the time was called ‘’hyperkinesis’’ or ‘’minimal brain dysfunction.’’ Now, the diagnosis takes in almost 10% of all children and teens.  Most of these kids (62%) are taking ADHD...Read More

A recent study that has appeared in the journal NeuroImage:Clinical, reports that subjects who had been treated with methylphenidate (Ritalin) before the age of 16, had significantly lower levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) as adults, compared with subjects who had started methylphenidate therapy after age 23, and subjects who had never taken psychostimulants....Read More

A study in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry last month reported that”extended use of medication [for ADHD] was associated with suppression of adult height but not with reduction of symptom severity.” So basically, it stunts growth and it isn’t effective. So why isn’t there a bigger hue and cry about this? There are...Read More

A new report reveals that ADHD drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta, may cause significant heart difficulties in some children.  The study, which appeared in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, followed 714,000 children in Denmark, born from 1990 to 1999, for an average of 9.5 years. Of those, 8,300 were diagnosed with ADHD after...Read More

It’s wonderful to see all the protests around the country against standardized testing.  At Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, teachers are refusing to administer the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).  In Texas, hundreds of school districts have passed a resolution saying standardized tests  are ”strangling” public schools.  The National Resolution on High Stakes Testing,...Read More