Attention Deficit Disorder

In the beginning, Debra Jones was simply trying to do a favor for a friend, but today she is a leader in the cause of finding natural remedies for the childhood maladies known as attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a fertile and growing field. Her organization, Parents Against Ritalin, is a rallying point for opposition to the leading prescription treatment for ADD and ADHD, and interest is "like never before," she said.

At 29, Justin Gatlin is a seasoned sprinter who felt like a rookie while winning his first-round heat of the 100 meters Thursday at the U.S. Championships. Gatlin had won the Olympic 100 in 2004, the world championship 100 and 200 in 2005 and what looked like his second consecutive U.S. 100 title in 2006, when he was a superstar in the sport. He had not run in a national championship since then. "I don't feel old," Gatlin said. "I just feel a little rusty. I have a veteran mentality, but I'm actually maybe a rookie.

About 3% to 7% of children 5 to 17 years old in the United States have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder , or ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC labels it "one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. " It also breaks down ADHD into three different categories: predominantly inattentive (which was once called attention deficit disorder, or ADD), predominantly hyperactive-impulsive and combined. The Orlando Sentinel's health blog Vital Signs reports on a recent study that measured the effect of background noise on inattentive students called "A little white noise may help ADD students.

James Franco has become a poster boy for multi-tasking (or possibly attention deficit disorder), famously plowing through four graduate degrees in the last year (three down, one to go) while continuing to make movies. Presently, he's enrolled at Yale, earning his doctorate in English and taking classes at the Rhode Island School of Design while zigzagging around the globe to promote "127 Hours. " And while Franco will happily chat up his studies or make the "Planet of the Apes" prequel last summer or star opposite a perverted puppet in David Gordon Green's upcoming movie "Your Highness," what really gets him going is his continuing involvement playing the deranged performance artist "Franco" on the daytime drama "General Hospital.

When Jann Glasser's 2-year-old son started preschool, he was so aggressive he lasted only two weeks before school officials asked her to remove him. "It was scary," recalls Glasser, an Irvine psychologist. "He was biting and hitting . . . and walking on children when they took naps. At the school, they had no tolerance for this. The attitude was, 'Hey lady, you need to discipline your child.'

Most parents would probably agree that children and adolescents are a squirmy lot who tend not to listen or pay attention very well. But for some, the problem is more than just a jumpy phase on the path to adulthood. They suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which can affect many aspects of their lives--most obviously their schoolwork. The disorder hasn't been studied or discussed widely until the last decade, and it's important not to apply the diagnosis too broadly.

Maureen Kaye and Cheri West envisioned a sort of fireside chat with other parents of children with attention-deficit disorder when the two Simi Valley mothers decided to form a support group. But on the night of the meeting, about 250 showed up. Kaye and West had been expecting no more than 40. "It was like Greyhound buses were dumping people off there," Kaye said. "People came in anyway. They were hanging from the rafters."

When Jann Glasser's 2-year-old son first started preschool, his behavior was so aggressive he lasted only two weeks before school officials asked her to remove him. "It was scary," recalls Glasser, an Irvine psychologist. "He was biting and hitting . . . and walking on children when they took naps. At the school, they had no tolerance for this. The attitude was, 'Hey lady, you need to discipline your child.' "I kept asking myself, 'What did I do wrong? Where is he learning this stuff?'

U.S. regulators Tuesday approved Eli Lilly and Co.'s new osteoporosis treatment and its new drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Forteo, a once-a-day injection, is the first U.S.-approved treatment for osteoporosis to stimulate formation of new bone. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Forteo for treating men and post-menopausal women who have the bone-thinning disease and a high risk of fracture.

Susan Callison will never forget how terrified she was when at the beginning of second grade, it took her son, Chad, two hours to complete a simple homework assignment. "I remember working with him on the word boat. I used pictures, everything, to try to help him recognize the word," recalls the El Toro mother and former teacher. "But after 20 minutes of working, he still didn't have a clue. It was frightening."

Like many parents of a challenging child, I was quietly thrilled the other day to read that a study in the prestigious medical journal the Lancet reported new evidence that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, my son's main diagnosis, may have something to do with genes. "I'm off the hook!" it's so tempting to think, when hearing this kind of news. Yes, my chromosomes may be to blame, but at least I wouldn't have to keep kicking myself over the possible ramifications of that fall from the swing set when my child was a toddler, or how much pesticide residue he's accumulated in his short time on Earth, or whether my own distractedness has deprived him of the consistency and structure he so obviously needs.

About 3% to 7% of children 5 to 17 years old in the United States have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder , or ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC labels it "one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. " It also breaks down ADHD into three different categories: predominantly inattentive (which was once called attention deficit disorder, or ADD), predominantly hyperactive-impulsive and combined. The Orlando Sentinel's health blog Vital Signs reports on a recent study that measured the effect of background noise on inattentive students called "A little white noise may help ADD students.

As chairman of the task force that created the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which came out in 1994, I learned from painful experience how small changes in the definition of mental disorders can create huge, unintended consequences. Our panel tried hard to be conservative and careful but inadvertently contributed to three false "epidemics" -- attention deficit disorder, autism and childhood bipolar disorder. Clearly, our net was cast too wide and captured many "patients" who might have been far better off never entering the mental health system.

More than a quarter of all U.S. children have a chronic health condition, new research suggests, a significant increase from the rate seen in earlier decades and a statistic that looms large for the nation's efforts to subdue rising healthcare costs. But the report doesn't suggest that children are less healthy. The comprehensive look at children from 1988 through 2006 also revealed that health conditions themselves have changed. Fewer children today are affected by congenital defects, infectious diseases and accidents than they were 50 years ago; instead, cultural, lifestyle and environmental conditions appear to be the root cause of many pediatric illnesses.

The number of players approved to take attention deficit disorder medications under baseball's drug policy rose last season, even after the sport tightened its rules in response to criticism from Congress. According to a report issued Friday, 106 therapeutic-use exemptions for ADD drugs were issued last year, up from the 103 exemptions reported to Congress for 2007.

You've seen the play a million times. Routine ground ball. First baseman picks up the ball, runs it to the bag for the out, "3U" in your scorebook. Adam LaRoche picked up the ball, but he did not run. "I was kind of out of it," he said. He walked the ball to the bag. The runner beat him there. "I wasn't even thinking there was a runner," LaRoche said. The crowd booed, his home crowd. LaRoche apologized to his pitcher, then his manager. "It looked like I was being lazy," he said.

Stanford researchers have found the first clear difference in brain functioning between children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy children, a discovery that may lead to more objective ways to diagnose this mysterious brain malfunction. Researchers estimate that as many as 6% of school-age children suffer from ADHD and require medication with Ritalin to allow them to function properly.

Alan has just spent the day doing yard work. He started mowing the lawn, but then noticed that the hedge needed trimming, so he turned off the mower and went to get the hedge clippers out of the garage. They were under some trash, so he stuffed some of it in a plastic bag, which he left by the door. Halfway through the hedge, he came to a spot in the yard where he intended to plant a tree, which had been wilting for two weeks in a burlap bag behind the house.

The brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder develop more slowly than those of other children but eventually catch up, according to a government study published Monday that suggests ADHD may be a transient condition, at least for some. Using advanced imaging techniques, scientists found that the cortices of children with ADHD reach peak thickness an average of three years later than children without the disorder.

"Arthur" and "Barney" are OK for toddler TV-watching. But not "Rugrats" and certainly not "Power Rangers," reports a new study of early TV-watching and future attention problems. The research involved children younger than 3, so TV is mostly a no-no anyway, according to the experts. But if TV is allowed, it should be of the educational variety, according to the study by University of Washington researchers that appeared Monday in November's issue of the journal Pediatrics.