Research shows that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. Scientists are discovering that changes in the body leading to mental illness may start much earlier, before any symptoms appear. Through greater understanding of when and how fast specific areas of children's brains develop, we are learning more about the early…

This exploratory research studied middle-class mother's primary reason for registering their young children, mean age 6.9 years, in adapted motor and sports programs and their perceptions of their children upon entering the program and upon completion. Analyses also examined the possible relationship between mothers' age, education or children's…

By examining specific examples of how teachers at an adolescent treatment centre interpret the day to day challenges that shape the lives of their students, insights can be gained about how schools can effectively re-connect even the most difficult students to a school environment. This article describes a story about an adolescent treatment…

Objective: Identification of differences among children with ADHD only, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)+ADHD, and chronic multiple tic disorder (CMTD)+ADHD may lead to better understanding of clinical phenotypes. Method: Children were evaluated using the parent- and teacher-completed questionnaires. Results: All three groups were highly similar in…

Objective: Describe the general health, comorbidities and health service use among U.S. children with ADHD. Method: The 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) contained the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; used to determine probable ADHD), data on medical problems, overall health, and health care utilization. Results: Asthma…

This discussion addresses several nutrition issues considered important to schools, students, and educators in the United States. Contents consist of a review of malnutrition and learning research and discussions of food additives and allergies, diet and hyperkinesia, the effects of caffeine and sugar on children's behavior, and the National…

Physicians have been treating hyperactivity in children with drugs as if it were a disease instead of a collection of symptoms which require exhaustive diagnostic tests to determine the underlying problem. (DB)

"You've got to ac-sen-chuate the positive" might be the theme song of an Oregon program devised for hyperactive "acting-out" children. (Editor)

The literature review presents an explanation of biofeedback and a critical evaluation of the research pertaining to electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback training for the hyperactive and/or learning disabled child. Three hypotheses are examined: whether EEG biofeedback training is efficacious; whether EEG biofeedback training is more…

The optimal stimulaton theory (which proposes that hyperactive children are more readily underaroused than nonhyperactive children and should thus derive greater gains from stimulation added to repetitive copying tasks than comparisons) was tested with 16 adolescents, rating high on attention and behavior problems, and 16 controls. Matched pairs…

Using meta-analysis techniques, the study sought to identify, integrate, and synthesize the literature from 61 articles which review the efficacy of various treatments for hyperactive children. The major objectives were to determine if drugs can be used effectively with hyperactive children, what child and intervention characteristics covary with…

Studied was the comparative effectiveness of dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate for the treatment of severe behavior disorders among 18 children (from 5 to 10 1/2 years of age) hospitalized for neuropsychiatric conditions. (Author)

Phase II of a study on the effectiveness of B. Feingold's recommended diet for hyperactive children involved the nine children (mean age 9 years) who had shown the "best" response to diet manipulation in Phase I. Each child served as his own control and was challenged with specified amounts of placebo and artificial color containing food…