Study: Video game benefits students with ADHD

Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who played a video game for four weeks showed signs of improvement in a study of 348 children between ages 8 and 12. The company that produces the game plans to seek approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to make the first prescription video game.    Reuters

Study examines "relative age effect" on ADHD diagnosis in youths

Finnish researchers found that boys and girls ages 7 to 9 who were born from September to December had an increased likelihood of receiving an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis compared with peers in the same grade who were born from January to April. However, the findings in The Lancet Psychiatry didn't show an increased incidence of ADHD diagnosis among those diagnosed at age 10 or older.    MedPage Today (free registration)

Review examines treatment needs for youths with ADHD

Researchers found that stimulants and alternative medications, particularly extended-release methylphenidate and amphetamine formulations, were effective in reducing teens' attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms but that treatment compliance is a concern with this age group. The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, based on a review of 17 studies involving 2,668 adolescents with ADHD, also showed that psychotherapy can help improve youths' academic performance.  Reuters (5/10)    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-adhd-teens-idUSKCN0Y126Y

ADHD symptoms in some children may be tied to rare tumors, study finds

NIH researchers found that 21% of children with rare pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma tumors in their adrenal glands had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder before tumor identification, compared with a general population rate of 7.2%. The findings in Hormone and Metabolic Research, based on 2006 to 2014 data involving 43 pediatric patients, showed one-third of the children with ADHD who had their tumors removed no longer displayed ADHD symptoms after surgery.  LiveScience.com (5/17)  http://www.livescience.com/54767-adhd-rare-tumors.html

Young Children with ADHD more likely to Experience Social Problems

A study of children at ages 4, 6 and 8 in the journal Child Development showed those with the most severe symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder experienced the most rejection from classmates, and the more rejection they experienced at age 4, the worse their ADHD symptoms were at age 6. Researchers studied almost 1,000 children with ADHD and found no association between peer rejection and worsening ADHD symptoms by the time the children were age 8.  HealthDay News  http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/attention-deficit-disorder-adhd-news-50/adhd-interferes-with-children-s-social-relationships-early-on-706234.html

Many U.S. preschoolers with ADHD are taking medication

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children younger than 6 receive behavioral therapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but a CDC report found that 46.6% of preschoolers with ADHD were given medications alone or with behavioral therapy in the past week. About 53% of children with ADHD got behavioral treatment in the past year, while 21.4% received neither therapy. The findings appear in The Journal of Pediatrics. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model) (4/1), http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/04/01/nearly-half-of-all-pre-schoolers-with-adhd-are-on-medication/

Study links energy drinks to risk of hyperactivity, inattention

A Yale University study of middle-school students found those who drank energy drinks were at higher risk of developing symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention than those who did not consume them. The findings support the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that children avoid energy drinks, researchers said. HealthDay News (2/9)   http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/energy-drinks-tied-to-low-attention-and-hyper-behavior-in-middle-schoolers-study-696275.html