Preschool ADHD Treatment

Is preschool ADHD treatment using medications safe for ADHD kids? Many doctors do prescribe stimulants for preschoolers, but of course the pros and cons of medication must be weighed particularly carefully. This is because we are dealing with preschoolers here, and it is estimated that ADHD affects about 2 percent of 2-to 4-year-olds in the United States alone. On one hand, the range of acceptable behaviours for preschool children is very subjective and broad, and if there are kids who still stand out from the crowd despite these, then they generally have very significant problems. On the other hand, diagnosis is very difficult because of the wide range of acceptable behaviours.

Whatever the case may be, one must never take medication use in young children lightly. A study found that quite a number of children who appeared to have ADHD as preschoolers no longer merit the diagnosis in elementary school. Hence, careful follow-up of preschoolers taking medication is mandatory.

So far, the responsiveness of preschool ADHD treatment using stimulant medications are mixed when compared to that for older children. In some studies, the response rate are equal for both categories of ADHD children, and in other studies, preschool children were found to be less responsive to stimulant treatment and they also have more side effects.

Types of medication used in preschool ADHD treatment

In a preschool environment, the degree of attentiveness demanded of preschoolers by the school authorities is generally not as high as that of school-age children. In such a case, preschool ADHD treatment focusses its attention on containing hyperactivity or implusiveness, and the medications used most often are clonidine (a well known brand is Catapres) and guanfacine (Tenex). In contrasts to stimulant medications, they have their most marked effect on hyperactive and implusive behaviour and a lesser effect on attention per se.

Ritalin also form part of some doctors' preschool ADHD treatment plan. But according to a government-funded study conducted several years ago, the results of its use on preschoolers were mixed. In many cases, low doses of methylphenidate (one of the well known brands is Ritalin) managed to treat 3-to-5-year-olds' ADHD symptoms. But when compared to older children taking the same medication, these preschoolers appear to suffer more side effects such as irritability, weight loss, and insomnia.

Compounded to the problem is that preschoolers on this stimulant medications also experienced slowed growth rates! By the end of the 70-week study, these children were found to be half an inch shorter in height and weighed 3 pounds less when compared to the average growth ate for same-age American children.

The study, which was published in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, however, did mention that preschool ADHD treatment may include the use of Ritalin for severe cases but cautioned doctors to weigh its pros and cons before prescribing it.

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