Healthy Kids: ADHD and sleepwalking

Author: WINK NEWS
Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS, Fla. – ADHD and sleepwalking are in the news this week!  Here to discuss the interesting revelations disclosed is Dr. Annette St. Pierre-MacKoul.

Children with ADHD learn better when fidgeting:
UCF study
Fidgeting helps retain information.
Fidgeting helps in working out complex cognitive tasks.
Past = disruptive and hyperactive behavior.
Now = ? assists in learning process.
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Typical ADHD:
Affects 11 perent of children ages 4-17. (CDC statistic)
Signs:  restlessness, constant talking and interrupting, inability to pay attention.
New info:  excessive movement seen when using executive functions in the brain.
When moving the most = they perform the best!
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Children with ADHD more likely to have eating disorder:
Loss of control eating syndrome = similar to binge eating disorder
Similar biological mechanism in ADHD and binge eating.
Impulsivity = loss of control over food consumption
Children with ADHD were 12 x more likely to have binge eating disorder.
Obese children were 7 x more likely to have ADHD.
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Results:
Children with ADHD and binge eating – severe ADHD
Genetic predisposition for impulsive behavior.
New treatment strategies are needed to treat both!
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Study identifies genetic risk for childhood sleepwalking:
17 percent of children sleepwalk compared to 4 percent of adults
Peak age is 3-7 years old for sleepwalking
Peak age for sleep terrors is 4-12 years old
Increase risk if parents sleepwalked
Genetic predisposition?
Also include sleep terrors (night terrors)
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Results:
56.2 percent of 1.5-13 yr old’s have night terrors.
29.1 percent of 2.5-13 yr old’s sleepwalk.
Night terrors increase risk of sleepwalking.
Parent history of sleepwalking increases child’s risk.
3 x risk if 1 parent sleepwalked
7 x risk if both parents sleepwalked

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