Surgery Helps Children with ADHD
May 13, 2006 | Emotions and Behavior
Some children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are finding relief, not with medication, but through surgery.
Some children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are finding relief, not with medication, but through surgery.
Seven-year old-Noah can sit still, laugh and focus on coloring. It’s a remarkable change, according to his mother.
He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at three-and-a-half years of age.
“He was irritable all the time, never in a good mood, didn’t listen, aggressive, couldn’t get along with other kids,” said his mother, Kerry Metzger.
Two psychologists worked with him. His doctor tried him on series of medications, but nothing helped.
“We went through Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Lexipro, Clonidine,” Metzger said.
Then doctors at Children’s Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center tried something different. They performed a sleep study and found Noah’s breathing was often interrupted during the night. It’s called sleep apnea.
To correct it and give Noah a better night’s sleep, doctors removed his tonsils.
“Basically if you take out the tonsils and you improve the quality of sleep, ideally you would improve their daytime function and potentially reduce their symptoms of ADHD,” said Dr. Maida Lynn Chen of Seattle Children’s Sleep Disorders Center.
That view just got reinforced. A new study from the University of Michigan shows that children in the study who needed their tonsils removed had a much higher rate of being diagnosed with ADHD than other kids.
One year after surgery, half those kids with ADHD saw their symptoms disappear.
Dr. Chen says it doesn’t mean every child with ADHD has a sleep disorder. But she has advice for parents:
“Right now I think that it is important that children with ADHD-type symptoms be evaluated for sleep problems,” she said.
Kerry Metzger is almost incredulous that it was the answer for Noah.
“Honestly, I never expected that that would just make him completely different like this, like just normal,” she said.
Oher studies have shown poor sleep can also affect a child’s blood pressure, heart, memory and learning.
Signs your child is sleeping poorly are restlessness, snoring, and not sleeping through the night. But even doctors may not be able to pick up subtle sleep disorders without a sleep study. Other studies have shown poor sleep can also affect a child’s blood pressure, heart, memory and learning.