More young children 2 to 5 years of age receiving care for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could benefit from psychological services – including the recommended treatment of behavior therapy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Vital Signs report urges healthcare providers to refer parents of young children with ADHD for training in behavior therapy before prescribing medicine to treat the disorder.
ADHD is a biological disorder that causes hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and attention problems. About 2 million of the more than 6 million children with ADHD were diagnosed before age 6. Children diagnosed with ADHD at an early age tend to have the most severe symptoms and benefit from early treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that before prescribing medicine to a young child, healthcare providers refer parents to training in behavior therapy. However, according to the Vital Signs report, about 75% of young children being treated for ADHD received medicine, and only about half received any form of psychological services, which might have included behavior therapy.
[For more go to http://www.cdc.gov/media/relea...3-children-adhd.html]
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