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Archives: October 2014

posted: Friday October 17th - 5:39pm

The ADHD Spectrum? A New Look at Attention, Impulsivity, and Language

Recent research suggests that characteristic symptoms of ADHD may be part of a natural spectrum. This new view could impact psychiatric diagnoses, and society’s view of “normal” attention, impulsivity, and language skills.

Just as autism is diagnosed on a spectrum, a new study proposes taking an umbrella approach when categorizing ADHD and its symptoms. The real-world implications of this proposal, published in Biological Psychiatry, would be a medical and societal shift in considering ADHD not a disease, but rather a spectrum of behaviors including hyperactivity, impulsivity, and social language skills. “It’s a different way to look at our...
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posted: Friday October 17th - 9:56am

Compound Found in Broccoli Shows Promise as Autism Treatment

According to a new study, sulforaphane — a compound found in broccoli — may have a positive impact on autism symptoms.

Eat your veggies, folks! A new study reveals that a compound found in broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables may have a positive effect on the social and behavioral problems associated with autism. The compound, called sulforaphane, has long been studied for its potential benefits against cancer. Researchers explored it as an autism treatment because of its so-called “fever effect,” or ability to trigger a “heat-shock”...
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posted: Thursday October 16th - 11:13am

Is the Common Core Stretching Our Kids’ Focus Past Its Natural Limits?

A recent study examines the link between intensified middle and high school curriculums and the rates of ADHD medication use during the school year. Are kids taking more stimulants in response to increased demands on their focus?

No Child Left Behind led to changes in the school curriculum that increased focus on math and reading, traditionally difficult common core subjects for ADHDers and cut out courses like history, art, and even gym. New research by specialists at Yale, New York University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison is raising questions about the impact of ramped-up testing and stricter academic standards on medication use for...
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posted: Tuesday October 14th - 9:29am

Living in an Unpredictable World: Researching the Root of Autism

MIT researchers pursue a theory that an inability to make predictions may be behind autism spectrum disorders, and the language deficits and hypersensitivities that often come with them.

Autism is a complex group of disorders often recognized by difficulty communicating with, or relating socially to others, a strict adherence to routines, and engaging in repetitive behavior or language. Today, a new analysis of existing data has led researchers at MIT to believe that an inability to make predictions may be behind these and other common behavioral markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The...
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posted: Wednesday October 8th - 10:00am

National Depression Screening Day is October 9

Here’s what you need to know about National Depression Screening Day, and what you can do to get involved.

October is more than just ADHD Awareness Month! The first full week of the month has been officially classified by Congress as Mental Illness Awareness Week and October 9, 2014, is National Depression Screening Day (NDSD). Started in 1991, NDSD comprises awareness events across the country and free depression screenings, both online and in-person. All kinds of organizations — from corporations, to colleges, to nursing...
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posted: Tuesday October 7th - 5:02pm

New Link Found Between Gene Mutation, Working Memory and Autism

Scientists concentrating on one very specific gene mutation are unlocking the mysteries of working memory and autism -- one small piece of the spectrum at a time.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a complex continuum of neurobiological conditions that overlap with ADHD symptoms in up to half of children with ASD. Children with ASD can be mistakenly diagnosed with ADHD if they struggle socially or have slow language development. The key to differentiating between the disorders is examining the symptoms’ root causes. Is it an executive function issue, or a missing developmental...
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posted: Friday October 3rd - 2:21pm

What If Sleep Apnea Is to Blame?

Sleep problems are among the most persistent and maddening ones we face. One startup company is aiming to change that with a new, inexpensive test to see whether your child’s inattention and hyperactivity actually stem from sleep apnea, not ADHD.

Here’s the rub: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition that causes fatigue, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and distractibility in kids. (Those symptoms sound familiar, don’t they?) OSA is also currently cumbersome and expensive to diagnose, so most children are never tested for it. Now, a company called NuSomnea is aiming to fix that with a new product called the Easy Peezy Pee Test, which identifies four key...
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