Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that doctors are prescribing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication to more than 10,000 American toddlers between the ages of two and three.
According to a report by the New York Times, these prescriptions are being granted despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not even broach the subject of ADHD medication in children. In fact, the guidelines are notably absent regarding ADHD in children under four years old in general, due to the difficulty of diagnosing the disorder.
“Developmentally, you’re supposed to be scattered and disorganized as a toddler,” Dr. Nancy Rappaport of the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medcal School told local CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.
Without taking the time to properly observe and determine whether a toddler has ADHD, doctors could be offering children dangerous prescriptions that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
“People prescribing to 2-year-olds are just winging it. It is outside the standard of care, and they should be subject to malpractice if something goes wrong with a kid,” said behavioral pediatrician Dr. Lawrence Diller to the Times. Full story...
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According to a report by the New York Times, these prescriptions are being granted despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not even broach the subject of ADHD medication in children. In fact, the guidelines are notably absent regarding ADHD in children under four years old in general, due to the difficulty of diagnosing the disorder.
“Developmentally, you’re supposed to be scattered and disorganized as a toddler,” Dr. Nancy Rappaport of the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medcal School told local CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.
Without taking the time to properly observe and determine whether a toddler has ADHD, doctors could be offering children dangerous prescriptions that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
“People prescribing to 2-year-olds are just winging it. It is outside the standard of care, and they should be subject to malpractice if something goes wrong with a kid,” said behavioral pediatrician Dr. Lawrence Diller to the Times. Full story...
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