Kids and ADHD drug -- take care
Ritalin tablets used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Credit: NEWSDAY/DAVID L. POKRESS
Yet another reason for parental wariness: The American Academy of Pediatrics now says attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be diagnosed in kids as young as 4 years old.
Not only that, but the physicians' group says these tykes can be treated with methylphenidate, even though the drug, better known as Ritalin, isn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration for such young children.
Ritalin is approved for kids 6 and older, however. And once a medication has been approved, doctors are allowed to prescribe it for others.
A diagnosis of ADHD is already common in school-age children; surveys of parents indicate that, by 2007, nearly one in 10 kids between ages 4 and 17 was diagnosed. Boys were twice as likely to be diagnosed as girls, and three times likelier to be medicated.
The academy's prior recommendations covered kids from 6 to 12, but the new ones cover ages 4 to 18, and so may open the door to even more diagnosis -- and treatment. The use of ADHD drugs is extremely rare in kids under 5 years old, but this too may change, although the academy recommends that behavioral techniques be tried before drugs.
Parents of preschoolers should exercise care. America's pediatricians no doubt want what's best for kids. But given the still-developing brains at stake, any use of ADHD medication on such young children -- who are fidgety by nature -- should be approached with the utmost caution.
