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TUESDAY, Oct. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rarely receive the gold-standard treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their condition, a new study reports.The AAP recommends a behavioral therapy technique called "parent training in behavior management," or PTBM, as first-line treatment for ADHD kids ages 4 and 5.But only 1 of every 10 children in that age group with an ADHD diagnosis or ADHD-like symptoms actually receive a referral for PTBM therapy, according to findings published online Oct. 18 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.Instead, parents often are given general advice that wouldn't be out of place in any well-child visit -- cut back on sugar, establish good sleep habits and limit screen...

TUESDAY, Oct. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Affordable over-the-counter hearing aids could soon bring relief to millions of Americans suffering from hearing loss, under a landmark proposal announced Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The proposal would create a category of hearing aids that could be sold directly to consumers, without either a medical exam or a fitting by an audiologist.Until now, folks suffering from hearing loss have typically had to fork out thousands of dollars for a device that could only be adjusted by a professional audiologist.That's been a barrier that left many without the hearing help they need. While roughly 15% of Americans report some trouble with their hearing, the FDA estimates that only 1 in 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid...

TUESDAY, Oct. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Fear, grief, uncertainty and isolation during the pandemic have triggered a national state of emergency in the mental health of America's youth, leading child health care groups warned Tuesday.Youngsters already faced significant mental health challenges, and the pandemic has made them worse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA). Together, they represent more than 77,000 physicians and more than 200 children's hospitals."Children's mental health is suffering. Young people have endured so much throughout this pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot...

TUESDAY, Oct. 19, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- A month after Lynn Otaguro and Mark Lum brought their new baby, Matt, home from the hospital, they noticed he was fussy and exhausted after breastfeeding.Matt wasn't gaining enough weight or growing like other babies his age. At his first checkup, the pediatrician thought Matt may have a heart murmur. The doctor scheduled an echocardiogram. Results revealed Matt was born with a ventricular septal defect, or a hole in his tiny heart.Doctors told the couple that eventually their son would need to have surgery to close the hole. The Honolulu couple suspected this would come years later when Matt was older and stronger.A few months later, Matt was still struggling when he breastfed and was underweight. Doctors inserted a catheter...