A new ADHD Study has been completed, and this one looks quite interesting. Some bullet points:
- It’s an independent study funded by the NIH.
- This one studied preschoolers over a 70-week period across 6 sites
- The conclusion: Ritalin in low doses is safe for preschoolers, provided they’re monitored carefully
I’m glad that this issue is being studied and gladder still to discover that this study was not funded by pharmas. However, I have lots of questions about it. How were these children diagnosed? What’s the definition of “preschooler”? (Ages 4-5? 2-4?) If the ages of the children studied are lower than age 4, then I have big reservations.
I knew Sticks was hyperactive as early as age 2, but that doesn’t mean I thought he should be medicated. The medication issues arose as he reached school age and I saw accompanying attention deficits arise along with the impulsivity and hyperactivity, and started doing serious research.
What I’m trying to say is that I think it’s a mistake for doctors to reach for the Ritalin in preschoolers without some serious psychiatric evaluations and efforts at behavior modification first.
Technorati Tags: AD/HD, Ritalin, NIH study, preschoolers
