Dear Dr. Cowan,

It seams to me that my son has many reason to have some anger issues - that we have not dealt with - some kids seems to move in life easily, however, he still remembers how his grade 2 teacher was very unfair to him when he is the one who was hurt by some else and even gave him a whole week suspension. I find that once you have the label you might as well work with it and make the best of it. Read more of the article...

How do I find out if my Child with ADHD qualifies for Special Education?

By: Erin N. King, Ed.S
Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Children with ADHD or ADD often have unique difficulties in school, academically and/or behaviorally. It may be more difficult for these children to focus and they may miss valuable information in academic lessons or instructions for assignments. They may struggle with organization to the point that they forgot what the homework assignment was, or they lose completed work before it is turned in. Children with ADHD may have difficulty sitting still during instruction or act out due to impulsivity. Read more of the article...

Teaching Problem Solving Skills: Checkers and Chess Can Be Helpful

This past year has been fun for our family as Grant (7) has picked up the game of chess and has been very successful with it. We have enjoyed traveling to several tournaments, and have met dozens of wonderful children and their families.

For several years I used checkers with my adhd clients of all ages to teach them problem solving skills. Checkers is an easy tool to use, as it is fun for children, especially younger kids, and if the parent or coach is not too competitive, is a great way to teach children how to think before making a decision and to look at the possible consequences of their decisions. Read more of the article...

The FDA was busy last week as it approved two drugs for use in adult disorders. The FDA approved the drug Concerta for use in adult ADHD, and approved the first generic versions of Risperdal (risperidone) tablets to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. Here we will focus on the approval of Concerta for adults with ADHD.

Concerta is a CNS stimulant medication is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children 6 years of age and older, adolescents, and now adults up to the age of 65. It is thought that stimulants work by helping to increase dopamine and norepinephrine, and perhaps blood flow, in the brain. Read more of the article...

ADHD Alternative Medicine: Why We Recommend Attend

ADHD Alternative Homeopathic Natural Medicine

"Excellent ADHD alternative treatment choice... perhaps the most advanced "natural alternative ADHD remedy" available today."

Attend is a natural treatment choice that observed to work with computerized testing, in addition to parent reports. Attend is one of the most popular alternative choices to ADHD medications such as Ritalin, Strattera, Concerta, Dexedrine, Adderall, or other medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As some evidence mounts that stimulants may not be as safe as once thought, many parents are looking for an alternative that works. Read more of the article...

Barron’s Magazine, is a financial weekly published by Dow Jones that keeps a very close eye on the world’s financial news and the corporations that are making news. Recently they ran a short series of articles on Shire Pharmaceuticals and the potential problems ahead for the company.

The reason that these articles are of interest to parents of children with ADHD, is that Shire makes Adderall, Adderall XR, and Vyvanse, all major medications used for ADHD treatment. The problems for Shire may be blessings for parents, so here are some of the details: Read more of the article...

Dear Fathers

I do hope that you are enjoying the kind of wonderful spring weather that we are enjoying here in California. I do know that many of you are enduring flooding rains in the mid-West, and our heart goes out to you. We wish you the best.

I am sitting on my deck overlooking Bear Valley thinking about Father’s Day, and about being a father. God has blessed me with three wonderful children, two in their twenties and one age seven, and through the years I have learned many lessons about fatherhood that somehow I’d like to put into writing and pass on to you. Read more of the article...

Protect Your Child's Brain from Mercury and Other Heavy Metals and Environmental Chemicals

The dangers of lead poisoning and mercury toxicity have been known for centuries. And research over the past thirty years has shown that low-level exposures to heavy metals from paint, exhaust, and other environmental sources has toxic effects. These metals are neurotoxins and adversely impact brain development and performance.

Mercury exposure has been linked to lower intelligence scores and neurobehavioral problems in children of mothers exposed to contaminated seafood. We are convinced that dental amalgam fillings, which are over 40% mercury, plus toxic nickel, copper, and cadmium, also can cause neurological and immune system dysfunctions. Read more of the article...

A lot of teenagers, and even children, are prescribed antidepressants, somewhere from 1% to 1.5% of the population. At one point studies estimated that as many as 1.66% of children or adolescents were prescribed antidepressant medication, but after the FDA required a "black box" warning label for the medications in 2005, the prescription rate has dropped. The warning label states that the use of antidepressants among children and teenagers is associate with an increased risk of suicial thoughts, and suicial behaviors. So physicians have backed off of prescribing the medications.

However, the estimated suicide rate among American adolescents is about 16%. Read more of the article...

Depression in Teenagers

With as many as 25% of teenagers with ADHD being clinically depressed, it is important to understand what depression looks like, why it is important to treat it and manage it, and the treatment options available.

When we think of someone who is depressed, we usually picture a sad, tearful, lonesome person. But teenagers with depression don't look like adults with depression. Read more of the article...

A defining criterion of Tourette is symptoms-involuntary tics-that start between age 2 and age 15. Anyone who has Tourette first got it as a child, probably during school, when peers can be ruthless to anyone out of the mainstream. Recent studies show that the greatest frequency and severity of tics occurs for most children around middle school. It's a
terrible time to be twitching and barking. Read more of the article...

Tourette's Syndrome is very close, in terms of genetics, to ADHD. As a result, those with Tourettes and those with ADHD may share a lot of symptoms, and it is common for children or teens with Tourette Syndrome to be misdiagnosed as having ADHD. When this happens, typically the child or teen is started on stimulant medication, and sometime within 18 months the tics associated with Tourettes will begin.

Here are our thoughts on this from our reply to a letter from a reader:

Dear Dr. Cowan, Read more of the article...

Let’s begin by pointing out that we have recently written about ADHD and Depression in Teenage Girls, and have even produced a brief internet video on the topic. As reported in that article, females with ADHD tend to have the “inattentive” type of ADHD (what we refer to as Winnie the Pooh type), where males tend to have the “impulsive-hyperactive” type or a “combined type” of ADHD (what we refer to as Tigger type ADHD). Read more of the article...

Depression and ADHD in Teenage Girls

Several studies in recent years have looked into the impact of ADHD on the lives of teenage girls. MRI studies report that teenager’s brains are rapidly maturing, but that they are not fully mature until the early 20’s in females, and perhaps the early 30’s in males. Long-term studies on behavior and emotional health report that girls with ADHD may struggle through the teen years. And other studies report that depression is common among teens with ADHD, and is so common among adolescents that the use of medications for ADHD, antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and even sleep medications, is up sharply with adolescent girls. Read more of the article...