| During the assessment process it is of
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| | diagnosis here would not be ADHD, but
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| great importance for the physician or
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| | rather a head injury.
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| clinician to consider other possible
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| |
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| causes of inattention, impulsivity, or
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| | Mark my words, in the next five years you
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| hyperactivity in your child (or teen, or
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| | will see lots of research showing that
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| yourself). In fact, this is probably the
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| | playing soccer causes minor head injuries
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| most important element of a good
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| | from "heading" the ball. A brain
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| assessment. There are several possible
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| | researcher friend of mine has seen this
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| causes of these behaviors, especially in
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| | several times now in treating soccer
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| children, and the clinician must have
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| | players (professional and collegiate) for
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| great certainty that these other possible
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| | memory problems and other cognitive
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| causes have been ruled out before giving
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| | problems.
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| the label of "Attention Deficit
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| |
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| Hyperactivity Disorder" to your child.
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| | Every once in a while we see someone who
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|
| |
| | has been exposed to toxins come down with
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| One of the first things to have ruled out
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| | cognitive problems. We live one of the
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| is a thyroid problem. Only MD's can do
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| | biggest agricultural areas in the world,
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| this, so off they go for a physical. This
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| | and sometimes people get sprayed by
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| is not a common problem, but it does
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| | chemicals, or get exposed to pesticides
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| happen, even in children. Thyroid
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| | other ways. This can result in all kinds
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| problems can cause inattention, learning
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| | of neurological problems.
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| problems, even hyperactivity and
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| |
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| impulsivity in some. Once that has been
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| | Tourette's Syndrome is also commonly
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| ruled out by the doctor, then other
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| | misdiagnosed as ADHD. Think of it as
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| environmental or emotional causes of
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| | basically ADHD with tics, and it is a
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| inattention, impulsivity, or
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| | close genetic cousin to ADHD. But it is
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| hyperactivity need to be ruled out.
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| | important to know the difference, as the
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|
| |
| | treatment for ADHD is often stimulants,
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| Depression in children often causes
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| | and sometimes stimulant medications can
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| inattention, as in adults, and also often
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| | make Tourette's worse. You can learn a
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| causes impulsivity and irritability and
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| | great deal about Tourette's Syndrome in a
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| excessive restlessness or agitation.
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| | great book by David Comings, MD, titled,
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| Anxiety disorders in children can result
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| | "Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior."
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| in agitation, impulsivity, hyper-
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| | It should be available through your
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| vigilance, motor restlessness, and
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| | library.
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| excessive startle responses, as well as
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| |
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| inattention to task. Significant
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| | What are the major things to look for
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| emotional traumas can also result in
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| | then? The big clue is in knowing whether
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| these behaviors. Physical or sexual
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| | the target behaviors (inattention, or
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| abuse, divorce or other significant loss,
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| | impulsivity, or hyperactivity) have
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| or the death of a loved one.
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| | always been apparent to some degree or
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|
| |
| | other, or if they just started one day.
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| Physical traumas can also cause the same
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| | And if they just "started one day," then
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| behaviors as ADHD, such as a minor head
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| | did they start as the result of some
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| injury from an auto accident, sports
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| | event (traumatic or environmental) ?
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| injury, falling as a child, and so on.
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| |
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| For example, one of my "ADHD" kids, who
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| | ADHD is usually "always there" while the
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| was extremely hyperactive and also very
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| | other things tend to have a starting
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| oppositional and at times violent toward
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| | date. Tourette's is the exception, as
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| others, took part in one of our research
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| | sometimes it has "always been there," and
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| projects. As part of the study we "brain
| |
| | sometimes it has a starting date.
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| mapped" him (QEEG) at the onset of the
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| | Realistically, if it looks like ADHD,
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| study. We saw two small head injuries in
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| | then it probably is, but as a clinician
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| the back of the head and one big injury
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| | the other possibilities must always be
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| in the front of the head.
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| | ruled out before making a diagnosis and
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|
| |
| | developing a treatment plan. Information
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| The frontal problem was expected, but the
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| | on the different types of ADHD and
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| problems in the back of the head were
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| | specific treatment recommendations is
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| not. I simply asked the parents, "When
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| | available at the ADHD Information
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| did he bash the back of his head?" They
| |
| | Library.Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a
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| thought for a minute and remembered that
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| | family therapist who has been working
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| when he was about six weeks old he had
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| | with ADHD children and their families
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| fallen out of his crib onto a hard flood
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| | since 1986. He is the clinical director
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| so hard that they had to call an
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| | of the ADHD Information Library's family
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| ambulance to take him to the hospital.
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| | of seven web sites, including helping
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| They had forgotten about the incident
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| | over 350,000 parents and teachers learn
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| during the clinical interview, but the
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| | more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan
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| mapping showed a clear problem. He fell
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| | also serves on the Medical Advisory Board
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| on the back of the head, causing those
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| | of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is
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| injuries, and the brain "sloshed" forward
| |
| | President of the Board of Directors for
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| causing the frontal injuries. These
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| | KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and
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| injuries have resulted in a lack of
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| | is President of NewIdeas.net
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| inhibition and cortical control, temper
| |
| | Incorporated.
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| outbursts, and learning problems. The
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| |
|
