For all you hard working teachers out there who have kids with ADHD here is something that can help you. Many kids who have ADHD have chilhood sleep apnea. Have the parents get the kids evaluated by the ENT or PEDIATRICIAN. I am a dentist who has seen such changes after the child has had their tonsils and adenoids removed. Parent’s can’t believe the difference in their kids. We do dentofacial orthopedics which widens the upper jaw(greater nasal airway) and also use appliances to move the lower jaw forward( greater airway with jaw forward). Also the younger a kid is when these problems are corrected the better the chance of the jaws growing normally and less need for major orthodontics. We want to keep kids nasal breathers and not have them turn into mouth breathers.
David
Re: Sleep Apnea and ADHD
Both my sons had a t&a done at age 3, my oldest was considered a mouth breather and is about to get his braces off (he is 13), he had a herbst appliance to move his jaw forward. The youngest (11) had his braces taken off two months ago but didn’t have the jaw problem. They have add/inattentive and adhd and take concerta.
I don’t discount sleep apnea as a cause for poor attention and behavior, I believe it is true. Just wish it was as simple a solution for my guys, we’d have this thing licked.
Re: Sleep Apnea and ADHD
My son had his tonsils and adenoids out three years ago and still has the apnea.
ENT prescribed a steroid nasal spray when I brough it to his attention.
What else causes the apnea that I should be aware of. He is 7 now and struggling desperately in school. We have begun the testing process.
Re: Sleep Apnea and ADHD
Classic ADHD - attention deficit - can exist entirely free of sleep apnea and does most of the time (51% or more). The sleep apnea connection to attention disorders is only a minor connection, not a major one.
Certainly for those with sleep apnea problems, checking that possibility out can be helpful - but again - classic ADHD has nothing to do with sleep apnea at all. That’s my understanding.
Re: Sleep Apnea and ADHD
PGD,
I have been running 5 years ahead of the current medical research. Heck, just until recently have pediatrician’s been told by their national organization to start looking for OSA in children. I am just stating things from my own experience in treating airway problems in kids. There will always be a percentage that will have ADHD and no airway problems. I treat patient’s one at a time and see the result’s for myself. I don’t trust much of the research that is being done because drug companies pay for much of the research. The research that shows what they want is what they let us see. I like to see things for myself.
David Allen
Re: Sleep Apnea and ADHD
My son suffers from hypoapnea? Where he does not exhale enough toxins for the amount he breathes in. He does not snore too much but has 2 sleep studies done. The sleep specialist NEVER mentioned it could be his adenoids. He said he had no idea why the test came up so bad because he could not find OSA or the obstruction generally found in sleep apnea. After several recommendations from a couple of different people, I took him to an ENT who said that his adeniods were enlarged and to make sure that was the problem, he put him on a trial steriod nasal spray. Boy, did it make a difference. He slept better, he did not wet the bed, he was attentive and well focused from having a good nights rest. One down fall, the steriods after a few days make him aggressive and agitated easily. This was a trial to see if the problems were resolved once the adeniods were shrunken. We will probably have them removed on the holiday break. Why the heck didn’t the sleep specialist try this? Arg!
I believe you. I am looking forward to the Day (Nov 27-2002) that my 7 year old twins get their tonsils and adenoids removed. I am a registered respiratory therapist, neo-ped specialty, and performed sleep studies in my “before twins” career of 15 years. I know what sleep apnea is and what it sounds like. I had always remarked to the Ped. that they snored so loudly that I could not sleep in the same room with them when we were on vacation together (in the same hotel room) but the Ped. blew me off. I finally asked another pediatrician for a referral to an ENT when they were about 7 years old, and still kept getting strep throat, ear infections, URI about every 3 or four weeks, except for a two month period each summer. I had returned to the workforce after 7 years and was about to lose my new job due to them getting sick so frequently! When the ENT heard the audio tape recording of the snoring, and looked at how much Adderall they were taking for a so-called diagnosis of ADD, he said THE SAME THING ABOUT SLEEP APNEA THAT YOU ARE REPORTING. I hope it is true. I want it to be true.
Unfortunately, most teachers are not allowed to report medical suspicions to parents due to liability issues.