Many Children Dx w/ADHD May Just Need More Z's

[Guest guest]

If this is true... Think of all the kids on med's, and all of their

side affects, which I believe include stunted development/growth,

just because they needed more sleep, and society was in a rush to

medicate... And in some cases parents were threatened with losing

their kids if they did not medicate... So, let's not make the same

mistake and rush to medicate for sleeping disorders... I have seen

kids that had a hard time sleeping, waking with nightmares, ect.,

and once the parents made make sure the last meal was vegetarian it

made a big difference.

Misty L. Trepke

htttp://www..com

 

Title of Article:

Health: Some Children Thought To Have Attention-Deficit Disorders Are

Actually Just Sleep Deprived

 

Article:

Many children diagnosed with ADHD might just need more Z's.

 

A growing body of research suggests that sleep disorders in children

can cause behavioral problems that resemble attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder, once simply known as ADD.

 

" There is overwhelming evidence that many children who are diagnosed

with attention deficit disorder actually primarily have a sleep

disorder, " said Monroe pediatrician Dr. Martin Young. " If (adults)

don't sleep well, we feel tired the next day. But children react by

becoming overexcited. "

 

Children and adults with ADHD have trouble focusing on tasks and

controlling their impulses. In 1999, the last year for which figures

are available, doctors wrote 18.6 million prescriptions for

behavior-controlling stimulants such as Ritalin. The number is up

from 12.8 million in 1995, according to IMS Health, a health care

information company based in Westport, Conn.

 

A study conducted by University of Michigan scientists suggested that

treatment for sleep disorders could eliminate symptoms in up to up

to 25 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD.

 

" If it does turn out that sleep disorders can contribute to

hyperactivity, it's better to go to the root of the problem rather

than to go with a cosmetic cover up, " said Dr. Ronald Chervin, the

lead author of the study.

 

Another study showed that children with sleep disorders do better in

school once doctors correct their problem.

 

" There are a growing number of health care professionals that feel

that (ADHD) is a scandalous hoax, " Young said.

 

He said some doctors believe pharmaceutical companies -- which sold

$669 million dollars worth of ADHD drugs in 1999 -- as well as

parents and teachers looking for an easy way to control children's

behavior, perpetuate a belief that ADHD exists.

 

Young compared ADHD to headaches. He said both are symptoms of

underlying problems but aren't diseases themselves. He said many

doctors are too quick to prescribe Ritalin.

 

" That is a travesty of medical practice, " Young said. " It is a

failure to properly evaluate the children to make sure they don't

have other problems. "

 

Young said Ritalin makes life easier for parents and teachers but can

harm children.

 

" It sends the message that you are not responsible for your behavior,

and only with drugs can your behavior be controlled, " he said.

 

Although some doctors question the use of Ritalin and other

behavior-altering drugs, parents like Carol Hill of Monroe say their

children can't function in school without them.

 

Her pediatrician diagnosed her nine-year-old son Jeremy with ADHD

when he was in kindergarten. She said his teachers knew he had a

problem when he got up and did a cartwheel during class.

 

Jeremy took Ritalin for three years, and then his doctor prescribed a

more powerful medication. " Each year, they increase the medication, "

Hill said, explaining that the drugs seem to lose their

effectiveness as Jeremy ages.

 

She attributes part of her son's success in school to his medication.

 

" I know some people disagree with it, " she said. " But if he was not

on it, he couldn't keep still in class. It's a godsend for me. "

 

Hill said Jeremy has always resisted going to bed, but she hasn't had

him examined for a possible sleep disorder.

 

Dr. Lowery Thompson, medical director of neuorphysiology at Glenwood

Regional Medical Center, said the relationship between ADHD and sleep

disorders in children is like a downward spiral. Chronic sleep

deprivation can cause children to have trouble focusing and

controlling their impulses, which doctors treat with stimulants. The

stimulants disrupt sleep, and the disruption causes more hyperactive

behavior.

 

" If you can interrupt that spiral at any place, it's a place to

start, " he said.

 

Thompson said disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea often go

unnoticed. Children with sleep apnea often have large tonsils or

glands in their throat that constrict breathing passages and cause

children to momentarily stop breathing as they sleep. Because

children with sleep apnea have trouble breathing, they don't get a

restful night of sleep.

 

Thompson said snoring can be an indication of obstructed breathing.

" Children generally don't snore, " he said.

 

Monroe pediatric neurologist Dr. Arun Kalra said sleep deprivation is

one of the many things that can cause behavior that mimics ADHD. " The

problem is that any child who is hyperactive is labeled with ADD, and

that's wrong, " Kalra said.

 

She said depression, learning disabilities and problems in the home

also can cause children to behave as if they have ADHD.

 

She said parents who think their children might have ADHD should let

a specialist make the diagnosis.

 

" (ADHD) needs to be properly tested for -- and not just with a

questionnaire from the teacher and the family, " Kalra said.

 

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from: The Disability Grapevine (The Daily Voice Of The Disability

People) The Number One Daily Newspaper for People with Disability

Issue # 48

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