May 2004 Newsletter

myADHD.COM News • MAY 2004

Impact of Methylphenidate on Driving Performance of Adolescents with ADHD
Adolescents with ADHD are at high risk for driving accidents. One dose of MPH improves simulator driving performances of ADHD-diagnosed adolescents at 1.5 hours post-dose.The March 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry contained a study by Daniel J. Cox and colleagues from the University of Virginia Health System that investigated the effects of different MPH delivery profiles on driving performance throughout the day. This randomized, crossover, single-blind study compared osmotic, controlled-release oral system MPH (Concerta) given once daily to immediate release MPH (Ritalin) given in equal doses (t.i.d) on driving performance among six male ADHD-diagnosed drivers aged 16 to 19 years. The primary outcome measure was each subject's computer-quantified Impaired Driving Score (IDS). The study found the IDS worsened in the evenings for participants receiving MPH dosed three times a day, but remained stable when they received once-daily OROS MPH. Participants on the OROS MPH demonstrated significantly less variability and better driving performance particularly in the evenings.

Study Compares Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Boys with ADHD and Their Unaffected Siblings
As a result of many investigations, researchers have concluded that ADHD is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder with onset in childhood. Siblings of children with ADHD are three to five times more likely to have ADHD compared to siblings of healthy control subjects. This risk is greater for identical twins as compared to non-identical twins. As full siblings share on average 50% of their genes, even the unaffected siblings of children with ADHD would be expected to have some of the genes involved in the disorder. A recently published study by Durston, et al. in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, March 2004, investigated the influence of increased familial risk for ADHD on brain morphology using MRI scans from 30 boys with ADHD, 30 of their unaffected siblings, and 30 matched controls. ADHD subjects and their unaffected siblings displayed differences in brain morphology. There were reductions in right prefrontal gray matter and left occipital gray and white matter of up to 9.1% (p<,05). Right cerebellar volume was reduced by 4.9% in subjects with ADHD (p=.026) but not in their unaffected siblings (p=3.08). A 4.0% reduction in intracranial volume was found in subjects with ADHD (p=.031), while a trend was observed in their unaffected siblings (p=.068). The study investigators concluded that volumetric reductions in cortical gray and white matter in subjects with ADHD are also present in their unaffected siblings, suggesting that they are related to an increased familial risk for the disorder.

MAY'S FEATURED MYADHD.COM TOOLS

Contact Address Book in Subscriber Administration Page Being Used by Many myADHD.com Subscribers
Sending rating scales to teachers of children and adolescents with ADHD is common practice among health providers. Such scales provide valuable information for assessment of symptoms and tracking progress with treatment. Now, with the myADHD.com contact address book you can send forms to teachers and parents with just a few clicks of your mouse. This is especially helpful when you need to send forms to five or six of a student's teachers at a middle school or high school. Try it. Go to your Subscriber Administration Page and start using your Contact Address Book for easy e-mailing of forms.

New Adult Psychosocial History Form
We heard from many subscribers that they would like to have an adult psychosocial history form to take histories of adults who present with problems with focus, self-control, disorganization, etc. We are pleased to announce that our new Adult Psychoscocial History Form is now available on your Subscriber Administration Page. This is a comprehensive form that you can e-mail to others for completion online or

print and hand out. The form asks for current complaints, developmental, medical and educational history, past and current employment, and has rating scales to assess ADHD symptoms and symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders. Clinicians will find this to be an all-in-one tool for getting valuable information that will assist in assessment of adults suspected of having ADHD. And, when you send it via the Subscriber Administration Page you will receive the completed form easily and results will be stored in your private, secure myADHD.com account.

New ADHD Rating Scale in Spanish
MyADHD.com now has the Spanish version of the ADHD Rating Scale for adults and for children available for subscribers via the Subscriber Adminstration Page. Our thanks goes to Paulina Zavala for her help in translating.

New Updated ADHD Medication Chart
With the help of behavioral pediatrician, Dorothy Johnson, M.D., FAAP, ADD WareHouse and myADHD.com have updated the ADHD Medication Chart. Dr. Harvey Parker and Dr. Johnson have included all the commonly used medications to treat ADHD. Included is information about dosing, common side effects, duration of effect, pros, and precautions. Remember—although quite comprehensive, this chart should never take the place of a physician's advice. Medications to treat ADHD should only be prescribed by a physician. Please click here to view ADHD medication chart.

COMING ATTRACTIONS
Free live ADHD teleconference to take place on May 12, 2004 at 8:00 pm EST for one hour. To learn more about this free teleconference and how to reserve space click on the link below. Please understand that space is limited and will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

ADHD Strategies at Your Fingertips:
Practical Tools from myADHD.com for Problem Solving
by Harvey C. Parker, Ph.D. and featuring
Bill Benninger, Ph.D. and Alan Graham, Ph.D.,

Participants in this teleconference will have a chance ance to win a free Premium Annual Subscription to myADHD.com or a free registration to ADDvisor's 8 week teleconference course on ADHD. Below are the learning objectives for the May 12th teleconference:

learn about the nature and characteristics of ADHD and deficits in executive function
learn about assessment and treatment guidelines for ADHD recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics
become familiar with the power of myADHD.com tools to assess, track and treat children and adults with ADHD
discuss the importance of carefully monitoring learning and performance to reach target goals
learn techniques for managing behavior during the summer months

Tenth Annual ADDA Conference:
"Demystifying AD/HD," to be held in St. Louis on May 13-16.
Join the Attention Deficit Disorder Association for one of the best educational experiences of your life and learn about ADHD in adulthood. This program is always a landmark event that you will treasure attending for years to come. To register go to www.add.org and follow the conference link on the left panel.

Attention Research Updates Newsletter. Click here to receive a copy of this free monthly newsletter by David Rabiner, Senior Research Scientist, Duke University.

Visit ADD Consults and find out how you can spend an evening with Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell.

Earn CE Credits at Home
The National Association for Continuing Education (NACE) now offers online CE courses for psychologists, marriage and family counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals. For information on over 80 home study continuing education courses and new on-line courses, visit www.naceonline.com.

Interested in joining others in a series of ADHD teleconferences to learn more about how to help yourself and your family? Drs. Alan Graham and Bill Benninger thought you might be so they have been holding eight week ADHD courses via teleconference for the past few years. Learn from the experts. See the ADDvisor website for details.

On May 15th see our mid-month newsletter that features an article from ADDitude Magazine.

For additional articles and resources on ADHD visit these sites:

myADHD.com online library: