The NPR (9/30, Smith) “Shots” blog reports, “The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on” Sept. 30 “that uphold the central role of medication, accompanied by behavioral therapy, in” the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in children and teens. But, “some parents, doctors and researchers who study kids with” AD/HD “say they are disappointed that the new guidelines don’t recommend behavioral treatment first for more children, as some recent research has suggested might lead to better outcomes.” But, “a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ ADHD Clinical Practice Guidelines Subcommittee says the group reviewed the recent ‘behavior first’ research but didn’t find the evidence strong enough to warrant a change in the guidelines.” Still, both the AAP “and its critics agree that not enough children are currently getting adequate behavioral treatment.”

HealthDay (9/30, Gordon) reports that Mark Wolraich, MD, “lead author of the guidelines, noted that there weren’t any dramatic differences between these and previous guidelines,” However, “he said, these latest updates keep the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines in sync with the same diagnostic and treatment criteria used by child and adolescent psychiatrists.” The guidelines were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Pediatricians Stand By Meds For ADHD, But Some Say Therapy Should Come First, “Alex Smith, NPR, September 30, 2019

Newsweek (9/27, Gander) reported that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers with Follow-Up (M-CHAT/F), “the most widely used screening tool for” autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “is not as accurate as hoped,” researchers concluded after examining the “electronic health records of 25,999 patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a network encompassing 31 pediatric primary care sites in Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” all of whom underwent M-CHAT/F screening.

Medscape (9/27, Hackethal, Subscription Publication) reported the study revealed that “as conducted, universal screening detected only 38.8% of children who were eventually diagnosed with ASD, and only 14.6% of children who initially screened positive truly had ASD.” What’s more, “accuracy was even lower for minority children, as well as those from homes with lower incomes.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Test For Autism Fails Major Hurdle: ‘We Need To Work A Lot Harder To Develop Screening Tools For Autism’, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, September 27, 2019

Reuters (9/27, Rapaport) reported, “People who work night shifts or varied schedules that disrupt their sleep may be more likely to develop depression than individuals with 9-to-5 jobs,” researchers concluded after examining “data from seven previously published studies of work schedules and mental health involving a total of 28,438 participants.” The findings were published online Sept. 19 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Related Links:

— “Shift work tied to poor mental health, “Shift work tied to poor mental health, Reuters, September 27, 2019

Healio (9/27, Michael) reported, “The amount of alcohol older adults consume affects their risk for dementia differently depending on whether they have mild cognitive impairment,” research indicated. Included in the study were a “total of 3,021 adults with a median age of 78 years.” The study found that participants “who drank 7.1 to 14 alcoholic drinks per week had a lower risk for dementia compared with those who drank less than one drink per week,” a phenomenon that “occurred in both patients with (HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.47-1.84) and without (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.38-1.06) mild cognitive impairment.” But, “in patients with mild cognitive impairment, the risk for dementia increased when they consumed more than 14 drinks each week (HR = 1.72; 95% CI, 0.87-3.4) compared with less than one drink per week.” The findings were published online Sept. 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Psychiatric News (9/27) reported, “The association between alcohol intake and cognitive decline was affected by the presence of mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study.” The study authors concluded, “These results suggest that while caring for older adults, physicians should carefully assess the full dimensions of drinking behavior and cognition when providing guidance to patients about alcohol consumption.”

Related Links:

— “Amount of alcohol consumed tied to dementia risk in older adults, “Erin Michael, Healio, September 27, 2019

HealthDay (9/26) reports, “More U.S. children today have developmental disabilities like autism and” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “than a decade ago, though improved recognition may be a major reason,” research indicated. Investigators “found that between 2009 and 2017, the percentage of U.S. children and teens with a developmental disability rose from just over 16% to nearly 18%,” with “increases in” AD/HD and “and autism spectrum disorders [ASD]” accounting “for most of the change.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “More U.S. Kids Being Diagnosed With Autism, ADHD, “Amy Norton, HealthDay, September 26, 2019