Simulated Driving Skills Evaluation of Teenagers With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Before Driving Lessons.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the driving skills of teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during simulated driving before starting driving lessons and observed whether methylphenidate (MPH) affected their performance. METHOD: Sixty teenagers ages 15-18 yr were included; 29 teenagers with ADHD were tested with and without MPH, and 31 teenagers (control group) were tested once. All participants were tested on the STISIM Drive™ simulator. RESULTS: The number of center-line crossings was higher in the group without MPH treatment than in the control group and the MPH-treated group. The group without MPH treatment had more road-edge excursions compared with the control group and drove faster than the MPH-treated group. CONCLUSION: Adolescents with ADHD without MPH treatment demonstrated impaired performance more often while driving the simulator, resembling characteristics found during on-road driving among teenagers with ADHD. Trainer awareness is a primary intervention before taking driving lessons to help teenagers achieve safe driving performance.

Seasonality of Methylphenidate Administration among Children in Israel.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Recently, increases in ADHD prevalence and methylphenidate use have been reported. There is evidence that children and adolescents use ADHD medication only during the school year. OBJECTIVES: To investigate trends in methylphenidate dispensing over a period of 3 years (2010-2012) at the monthly level and to investigate whether there is any monthly variation, especially during the summer season. METHODS: The database of Clalit Health Services (the largest of the four health funds in Israel) was used to identify (i) patients aged 6-17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, and (ii) methylpenidate dispensation during the period 2010-2012. RESULTS: Among children aged 6-17 years diagnosed with ADHD, 43% were treated with methylphenidate. For the period 2010 to 2012 there was an annual drop in methylphenidate dispensing, beginning in June and continuing through the 2 months of summer vacation, with a 2.5-fold reduction from July as compared to May. This decline was consistently followed by a rise in medications dispensed starting August. A similar small drop was observed during the Passover school vacation. The summer drop decreased over the years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed a decrease in the number of methylphenidate prescriptions dispensed during the summer months and Passover as compared to the rest of the year. However, this phenomenon appears to be decreasing. Given that ADHD is a chronic disease state that can effectively be managed with pharmacotherapy, discontinuation of treatment may be harmful for patients and should be considered only on a patient-by-patient basis.

Assessment of Abilities and Comorbidities in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

This study examines major comorbidities in children with severe cerebral palsy and the feasibility of psychological tests for measuring abilities in a more impaired population. Eighty psychological evaluations of children with cerebral palsy aged 1.8 to 15.4 years (mean = 5.6) were analyzed. Major comorbid disorders were correlated with severity of motor disability. More than half of the cohort were diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Multiple subtests were combined in order to assess the intellectual level. Normal intelligence was found in 22.5%, and 41.3% had moderate or severe intellectual impairment. Epilepsy occurred in 32.5% and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 22.5%. Intellectual disability correlated with motor ability and with epilepsy. In a logistic regression model, epilepsy and motor ability score predicted 29.9% of IQ score variance. Intellectual impairment and epilepsy are common comorbidities. Subtests from different scales should be applied and interpreted with caution.

Disordered sleep in pediatric patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an overview.

There is a well-established correlation between sleep disturbances and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A large number of pediatric patients diagnosed with ADHD have sleep problems, while patients with sleep disturbances often display behavioral patterns that resemble some features of ADHD. Despite these observations, the relationship between sleep problems and ADHD is not yet fully understood. It is often difficult to pinpoint which of the disorders is the primary and which a byproduct of the other. A complicating factor is that stimulant medication such as methylphenidate, a drug of choice for ADHD, may adversely affect sleep quality in ADHD patients. However, there have also been reports that it may actually improve sleep quality. This review examines the latest trends in the contemporary literature on this clinical dilemma.

Effect of transdermal methylphenidate wear times on sleep in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Sleep disturbances are common among children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This study sought to evaluate the effects of individualizing wear times of the methylphenidate transdermal system on sleep parameters. In this open-label, randomized trial, 26 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disturbances were randomized (after dose optimization) to one of four groups with different sequences of patch wear times (i.e., 9, 10, 11, and 12 hours per day wear times each for week in different sequences). The primary endpoint comprised sleep latency. Secondary endpoints included total sleep time, sleep quality, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and related signs (assessed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV and Connor's Global Impression-Parent). A mixed-effects regression model evaluated the effects of patch wear time on sleep and symptom measures. Patch wear time exerted no significant effect on sleep latency or total sleep time, although a trend toward improved sleep quality was evident (P = 0.059) with longer patch wear times. Sleep parameters were not adversely affected by longer methylphenidate transdermal system patch wear times. Thus, if replicated in larger samples, the individualization of patch wear times should be considered according to the needs and responses of patients.