CDC Reports More Than 10K Toddlers Medicated For ADHD
Dr. Mallika Marshall
Dr. Mallika Marshall is WBZ-TV News’ Medical Reporter and contributes...
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BOSTON (CBS) — The Centers for Disease Control reports an alarming
number of toddlers are given medication for Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. Experts say it’s not only appalling, it’s
irresponsible.
Dr. Nancy Rappaport, a child psychiatrist at Cambridge Health
Alliance and Harvard Medical School reacts to recent data from the CDC
showing that more than 10,000 American two and three-year-olds are now
being medicated for ADHD.
“Developmentally, you’re supposed to be scattered and disorganized as a toddler,” Rappaport says.
Rappaport has been diagnosing and treating children with ADHD for
more than 20 years and says she doesn’t treat children under six with
medication, and certainly not under four, especially since stimulant
medications like Ritalin and Adderall haven’t been studied in children
that young.
“Under six years old, you give a child a medication, they are
exquisitely sensitive to medications so they may be more likely have
irritability, trouble sleeping and you’re not addressing the difficulty
of a child concentrating.”
The report also showed that lower-income toddlers are more likely to
receive stimulants than their wealthier peers, but experts say instead
of jumping to a diagnosis of ADHD in these children, take a look at
their home life first.
“Sometimes poor families may have trauma, neglect, or parent
substance abuse and in those situations, you may have children who have
trouble focusing or run out of the classroom and it’s because of the
underlying trauma that’s on in their life and their signaling the
difficulty they’re in.”
Rappaport says that even though ADHD is often overdiagnosed, it
exists and about 6-percent of the population truly has it. And
medication, for many children, can make a huge difference in their
lives.
“Sometimes it can be the experience of taking a stimulant for a
child, it’s as if they finally had the windshield wipers turned on, and
they can function in school.”
But medicate a two or three-year-old for behavioral problems?
“I can’t defend it. It’s ridiculous,” she says.
If you’re concerned that your child may have ADHD, Rappaport suggests
talking with your pediatrician and to someone else who has observed
your child’s behavior, like a daycare worker or teacher, to see if they
agree the behavior is out of the norm.
Rappaport says every child should undergo a careful evaluation and behavioral therapy before ever being started on medication.
MORE HEALTH NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON
Dr. Mallika Marshall
Dr. Mallika Marshall is WBZ-TV News’ Medical Reporter and contributes...
Read More
Dr. Nancy Rappaport, a child psychiatrist at Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School reacts to recent data from the CDC showing that more than 10,000 American two and three-year-olds are now being medicated for ADHD.
“Developmentally, you’re supposed to be scattered and disorganized as a toddler,” Rappaport says.
Rappaport has been diagnosing and treating children with ADHD for more than 20 years and says she doesn’t treat children under six with medication, and certainly not under four, especially since stimulant medications like Ritalin and Adderall haven’t been studied in children that young.
“Under six years old, you give a child a medication, they are exquisitely sensitive to medications so they may be more likely have irritability, trouble sleeping and you’re not addressing the difficulty of a child concentrating.”
The report also showed that lower-income toddlers are more likely to receive stimulants than their wealthier peers, but experts say instead of jumping to a diagnosis of ADHD in these children, take a look at their home life first.
“Sometimes poor families may have trauma, neglect, or parent substance abuse and in those situations, you may have children who have trouble focusing or run out of the classroom and it’s because of the underlying trauma that’s on in their life and their signaling the difficulty they’re in.”
Rappaport says that even though ADHD is often overdiagnosed, it exists and about 6-percent of the population truly has it. And medication, for many children, can make a huge difference in their lives.
“Sometimes it can be the experience of taking a stimulant for a child, it’s as if they finally had the windshield wipers turned on, and they can function in school.”
But medicate a two or three-year-old for behavioral problems?
“I can’t defend it. It’s ridiculous,” she says.
If you’re concerned that your child may have ADHD, Rappaport suggests talking with your pediatrician and to someone else who has observed your child’s behavior, like a daycare worker or teacher, to see if they agree the behavior is out of the norm.
Rappaport says every child should undergo a careful evaluation and behavioral therapy before ever being started on medication.
MORE HEALTH NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON
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