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On Tuesday, May 3rd, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publically expressed concerns about medicinal treatments for toddlers and young children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents of young children with the diagnosis try behavior therapy first, but less than half are receiving such services. 75 percent of children with the diagnosis are receiving drugs as treatment. Centers for Disease Control officials emphasize that they know behavioral therapy is not a “practical” option for some but are currently working parents to try to expand availability and accessibility of the treatments through other avenues, such as online.
Many experts argue that it can be highly difficult to distinguish the normal behavior of an energetic preschooler from one who has a medical condition that requires intervention.