No Zitsfleish or ADHD?

I remember my Rebbe telling our class over and over again..."you need to have zitsflish!!" - you need to "be able to to sit still for long time"; assiduity, diligence; perseverance; be assiduous, persevering, diligent".

What about the time that the Rebbe commented that "you have Shpilkis!" - shpilkis: (Noun): To 'bounce off the walls', nervous energy without purpose. In English - to be 'on pins and needles'. Common in kids when they have had too much sugar, or adults too much caffeine {or any combination of same}. Kids with ADD or ADHD before they are medicated.

"Oy, you kids in the back seat! Enough with the shpilkis already, or I'm gonna turn around this car around, right now!"

Well...this article may help shed some light...The key is distinguishing when someone really needs help or is just being chutzpadik at home or in class and unwilling to cooperate.

9% of U.S. Kids Have ADHD

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter, MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) –

Nearly 9 percent of American children have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but only 32 percent of them are getting the medication they need.

That's the sobering conclusion of a landmark new study, the first of its kind based on what doctors consider the "gold standard" of diagnostic criteria -- the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.

"There is a perception that ADHD is overdiagnosed and overtreated," said lead researcher Dr. Tanya E. Froehlich, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center.

"But our study shows that for those who meet the criteria for ADHD, the opposite problem -- underdiagnosis and undertreatment -- seems to be occurring."

The researchers found that some 2.4 million children between the ages of 8 and 15 meet the medical definition of ADHD, but an estimated 1.2 million children haven't been diagnosed or treated, Froehlich said, adding that "girls were more likely to be undiagnosed.

"What's more, children from poor families, who have the highest rates of ADHD, were the least likely to have consistent treatment with medication, Froehlich noted.

"In addition, children without health insurance were less likely to be diagnosed and treated," she said.

The findings were published in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.ADHD is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years and is characterized by hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

To arrive at their findings, Froehlich and her colleagues collected data on 3,082 children who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Using interviews, the researchers were able to establish the presence of ADHD. They also used data from doctors and the numbers of ADHD medications being used to establish diagnosis and treatment patterns, according to the report.

The researchers found that of the 8.7 percent of children who met the criteria for ADHD, only 47.9 percent had been diagnosed with the condition and only 32 percent were treated consistently with medications.

Froehlich said medications can be quite effective, and people with ADHD can lead successful lives if they have been properly diagnosed and treated."There are many successful professionals who have ADHD," Froehlich said. "On the flip side, there can be a lot of negative consequences associated with the disorder, such as lower rates of school and career achievement and higher rates of substance abuse, incarceration, injuries and car accidents," she said.

Froehlich said more needs to be done to identify and treat children with ADHD. "It's not a trivial disorder," she said. "

It can have an impact on the child and the family if it is not diagnosed and addressed. We need to redouble our efforts to help doctors spot the symptoms of ADHD and make an accurate diagnosis.

Dr. Jon A. Shaw, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine, agrees that ADHD is underdiagnosed and undertreated."

The study is confirmatory of the general scientific literature," he said. "ADHD is a highly prevalent disorder, the most common psychiatric diagnosis in children, and that, in general, it is being underdiagnosed and undertreated in our community."

Shaw noted that those children most at risk receive the worst care. "It is clear once again that it is the poorest of our community who are deprived of the benefits of the most effective treatment -- psychopharmacology for this condition," he said.

The discovery that ADHD is more common among poorer people is probably related to other risk factors for the disorder, such as use of tobacco, low birth weight and lead exposure, Shaw said.

For more on ADHD, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

TOO MUCH TV?

Avi's Soapbox: Growing up, I remember that there was originally only a few channels which you could watch on the television. For many years, we were all satisfied with the little 'veg time' that we had in front with these few channels and we were happy with the simple entertainment that was provided by these few channels. Then came basic Cable with another 25 or so channels. Yes...more television, more movies and even less time for us to spend with family or other important matters in our life. After all, with 25+ channels to watch there was a lot of 'coach potato time' which needed to be caught up on. But hold on!!! It's 2007. 25+ channels isn't going to cut it anymore. We need more...MUCH MORE! MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE. I'm talking about 1000+ channels. I'm talking about Tivo and the ability to record shows and skip commercials and watch them when we want and how we want...Life is great. More TV to watch. Less time with family and responsibilities. It's a mechaya...what more could a TV junkie ask for!!! Forget the fact that I have bags under my eyes from staying up all night to watch or that my eyes are turning red from the lights and colors of the screen. Certainly, with so much "educational material" available to me at all hours of the day on TV, it certainly can't be bad for me or my children. right??? Think again. Here is new research - hot off the press.

Childhood TV viewing can cause teenage problems

By Andrew Stern Tue Sep 4, 11:50 AM ETCHICAGO (Reuters) –

Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.

The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.

The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day."

Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.

Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.

"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis wrote.

Landhuis offered several possible explanations for the association.

One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may over stimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison."

Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he wrote.It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he said.

The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.The study was not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis said, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television."

However, our results show that the net effect of television seems to be adverse," he wrote.

Previous studies have linked the sedentary habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, and another study in the same journal cited the poor nutritional content of the overwhelming majority of food products advertised on the top-rated U.S. children's television shows.

Up to 98 percent of the TV ads promoting food products that were directed at children aged 2 through 11 "were high in either fat, sugar, or sodium," wrote Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois in Chicago.

AVI'S SOAPBOX

Welcome to the 1st edition of Avi's Soapbox. As many of you know "a soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject or other pressing matter. It is also used to express concerns or to release frustration. The term originates from when speakers would stand on a wooden box meant for holding soap. A modern form of the soapbox is a blog; a website on which a user publishes one's thoughts to whomever reads the page." (see wikipedia.com)

For several years now, many of you have asked me to add some thoughts to the weekly Aish Tamid emails.

The truth is that I would really love to. However, the reality is that my schedule often doesn't provide me with the luxury of having time to sit and write all that is on my mind.

But, in response to your ongoing requests and in the interest of jump-starting dialogue, discourse and engaging debates about many of the 'issues' which Aish Tamid addresses within our community day-in and day-out, I will (bli neder) try my best to regularly highlight some articles or literature which I feel deserves some attention, as well as add some personal commentary about the topics, as needed.

Ideally, I think the best place for discussions or comments about my rantings and ravings from 'on top of my little soapbox' should be on the Aish Tamid message board which can be found here: http://com2.runboard.com/baishtamidoflosangeles.f1 (check it out!). I encourage you all to log in and check it out and post comments there.

My goal is not to highlight problems, but to work in partnership with you on collective solutions that work for teens, young adults, family and our community. Please help be part of the solution!

With that in mind, I think I will get in position now on top of my soapbox and get started. If you decide to throw some tomatoes at me, please don't pick rotten one or throw them too hard. After all, tomato stains are hard to clean and there isn't too much protection or shelter for me to stand behind up here. Thank you for your indulgence.