Ritalin For 4-Year-Olds?

New guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics say kids as young as four can be diagnosed with and treated for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Previous guidelines focused on kids six to 12, but that age range has now been expanded to four to 18.

“One caution is, four-year-olds, by nature, are very active to begin with so you’re going to have to delineate normal activities from ADHD type symptoms,” said Dr. John Torres with Premier Urgent Care.

Torres said those symptoms include serious issues with attention, concentration and socialization.

When it comes to treatment, he said parents should proceed with caution, especially for very young children. The revised guidelines recommend that doctors first prescribe behavior therapy for four and five years old, but say that drugs like Ritalin or Concerta may be prescribed if that doesn’t work.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved most ADHD drugs for children under six.

“It’s going, what we call, off label,” said Torres. “Bringing it down an age level, which the FDA hasn’t approved yet, but it probably will at some point.”

Torres said drugs can work great for some kids, but parents should think about potential side effects like heart problems, nausea and weight loss.

“Like all medications there are things you need to know in terms of side effects, but most kids get along pretty well with it,” said Torres.