Word: adhd
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...emerged within the past decade as the most common -- and controversial -- childhood behavioral disorder. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 1 out of 10 U.S. youngsters -- mostly boys -- may suffer from the baffling syndrome. Doctors disagree about what causes hyperactivity, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as it is now known. Everything from brain damage to stress, food allergies or radiation from TV sets has been suggested. The NIH says the problem is probably a combination of as yet elusive genetic, environmental, neurological or biochemical factors. Diagnosis is difficult, since there is no laboratory test...
...restrict artificial flavorings and preservatives and, most typically, medication with such amphetamines as Ritalin and Dexedrine. For unexplained reasons, these drugs, which usually act as stimulants, dampen impulsive behavior in hyperactive youngsters and enable them to concentrate longer. Up to 750,000 American children now take drugs to control ADHD; that figure is expected to reach 1 million by the early 1990s...
...hard-to-handle children. Says pediatrician Martin Baren of Orange, Calif.: "Kids get diagnosed with this when the problem is something else, like a language or learning disability." Or they may be simply rambunctious. A recent study revealed that of 200 children brought to the University of Chicago's ADHD clinic, 40% did not suffer from hyperactivity...
...quick fix for behavior problems." The blame belongs not only to doctors, who sometimes give little more than cursory examinations before reaching for the prescription pad, and teachers, who want their classrooms to be peaceful. It also rests on parents, who often expect their children to be stellar performers. ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in prosperous suburbs, where the pressures to achieve are frequently greatest...