Study: Millions of kids misdiagnosed with ADHD
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Updated: 12:42 PM Sep 26, 2011
Study: Millions of kids misdiagnosed with ADHD
According to the study, changes in a child's regular routine can help determine if they do really have the disorder.
Posted: 9:57 AM Sep 20, 2011
Reporter: NewsCenter 16 Staff, NBC News, The Associated Press
Email Address: newscenter16@wndu.com
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There's an eye-opening report out Tuesday that parents are talking about.

The study, released overnight, claims that millions of children in this country have been misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and as a result, may be on prescription medications they don't need and shouldn’t be taking.

Instead, many kids may have something called "Faux ADHD”. Researchers at the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology say a few simple changes to your child's regular routine can help determine if they really do have the disorder. They suggest some problems with focus and attention during the day may be caused by poor sleep habits.

Doctors there suggest adjusting children's bedtimes and teaching kids how to stay in their own beds in the middle of the night is enough to alleviate daytime behavior problems.

In the study of 700 kids, those who did not sleep in their own bed had ADHD-like symptoms seven times more frequently than children who always slept in their own beds.

Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1 in 10 U.S. kids were being diagnosed with ADHD, a more than 2 percentage point increase, from 6.9% to 9 %, over a decade. Some experts say that could be, in part, due to our changing expectations for children's behavior.

According to the latest data from the CDC, from 2007, 9.5% of children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. In Michigan, that number is 9.9%. North Carolina had the highest percentage of 15.6%.

To read the report from the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology, click here.

For a breakdown of the prevalence of ADHD in each state from the CDC, click here



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