OT - ADHD Often Misdiagnosed

[Guest guest]

I saw this on the news and thought I would post this here.

By Deanna Fene'

First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- There's always lots of activity in the Stone

household. 7-year old Logan is the oldest. Wes and Chase are 5-year-

old twins. " There's usually a wrestling match in the morning or late

at night, " says dad, Stone.

It was early on parents and Stone realized their twins

were different from their first child. says, " They were very

restless sleepers. They would be all over the bed and get up

frequently in the night. During the day they would be very sleepy. "

The sleepless nights affected their behavior during the day.

says, " The crankiness would set in late in the day. "

Day after day, Mom and Dad watched and sometimes worried. Could the

twins behavior be a sign of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

says, " They would snore terribly. You could hear them all the

way down the hall. "

And that helped doctors diagnose the real problem. It wasn't A-D-H-D

causing the twins behavior problems.

Nemours Otolaryngologist Doctor Kress says, " If you get a

rotten night's sleep you wake up a really grouchy person. In adults

you can explain that but for little kids it's really hard so some of

these kids are mislabeled A-D-H-D. "

The real problem, sleep apnea brought on by enlarged tonsils. A

recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics took a look at

children being treated for A-D-H-D and discovered many of them had

been misdiagnosed. Dr. Kress says, " 40-percent of those children had

a clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and they

needed more surgical treatment than medication. "

The Stone's discovered the twin's tonsils were huge.

says, " No, it never occurred to me. I just thought with twins,

everything's different. "

The twins underwent groundbreaking surgery at Nemours Children's

Clinic in ville. The procedure is similar to a tonsillectomy,

but with less pain and a much quicker recovery.

The night of the surgery the twins were eating dinner and were home

the very next day. says, " I was hoping for a little down time

actually, but there was no downtime. They came home and were ready to

go. "

The smaller tonsils have made a big difference. The twins can easily

keep up with their older brother, and they're not getting so tired

and cranky during the day. says, " They seem to run further.

Don't get worn out as quickly. They've made what I see is

improvements in general exercise habits. "

And now bedtime is much more restful for the twins and their parents.

says, " They're sleeping better, a whole lot better. "

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea brought on by enlarged tonsils

include; excessive snoring, restless night, daytime sleepiness, and

large tonsils.

The procedure is considered low risk and locally it's been performed

on children as young as 8-months old.

First Coast News