New ADHD Guidelines for Better Treatment

The percent of children that have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD over the last 10 years has practically increased two fold. Looking at this situation, the American Academy of Pediatrics has decided to impose new and improved guidelines, which were first released in 2000. With these latest guidelines, pediatricians are given more proper suggestions on how they can ensure that children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD are given the most excellent treatment as much as possible.

The new set of guidelines will be published in the November issue of Pediatrics magazine. The AAP has imposed many big changes in the guidelines, some of which include that children with ADHD aged between 4 and 18 must be assessed when showing signs and difficulty. The age requirement has been extended from the previous one that is 6 to 12 years of age. Another one would be that parents and teachers must dispense behavior therapy for those children aged 4 and 5 years, and Ritalin can be considered an alternative if behavior therapy does not succeed. Lastly, pediatricians must look on to the younger years of the teenager with ADHD and look for symptoms that might have been missed.

Most physicians from the AAP say that facts and proofs that slowly materialize, show that the disorder can be uncovered and successfully dealt with at a younger age. The guidelines also incorporate intercessions in order to aid children that have reckless manners, which still do not give good reason to have immediate treatment.

ADHD is a developmental disorder which is predominantly described by the subsistence of concentration difficulties and hyperactivity, with both manners happening on a rare basis. With more or less than 9.5%, children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2007 based on the report made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Children who suffer the disorder present symptoms of distraction, recklessness and agitation. These children may have problems in concentrating during classes. Most of them spend a lot of their time squirming in their seats or talk endlessly.

This behavior that children show may come off as a common behavior that most kids exhibit on one occasion or another. However, the US National Institute of Mental Health says that it may be developed into a drawback when it takes place every time. Children need to be given the best medical care as much as possible. Parents should not be complacent with regards to this matter. In addition, children deserve all the opportunities that they will be getting and they may not achieve it if they have something that holds them back — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.