Grants for Children With ADHD

Too many children are diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) every year. Ironically, the families that are hit hardest by the condition are those who cannot afford the healthcare to treat the condition. That is why there are grants given to institutions for the study of ADHD, so that children can be treated and go on to live normal lives.

• Child Focusing

Types of ADHD

• There are three types of ADHD: primarily hyperactive/impulsive, primarily inattentive, and a combination of the two. Primarily hyperactive ADHD decreases as the child ages. Inattentive ADHD stays longer with a child as he grows. Most of the time, a child's ADHD is more noticeable when he is with a group as opposed to being by himself.

Healthy People 2010

• The Public Health Service is working with The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in promoting the nationwide campaign Healthy People 2010. The NIH is funding research on ADHD, enabling doctors and scientists to search for a DNA link to the disease, a cause, a treatment, a cure, and a preventive strategy. This grant funds five years of study.

Project SHAPE

• Project SHAPE, developed at the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida, is a grant funding ADHD research focusing on parent-child interaction therapy to determine if the therapy has long-term affects on the child. The grant also investigates how much parent-child interaction therapy will save money in the long run.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

• A grant-funded study was done at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Overwhelming evidence from the study suggested that over 2 million children have ADHD symptoms, over half are not diagnosed, and only one third receive treatment. The study found that impoverished children get little to no treatment because of limited resources.

National Institute of Mental Health

• There are two grants funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The first grant study is led by doctors at Ohio State University. It focuses on an alternative therapy called neurofeedback, also known as EEG feedback. The child is wired while playing a video game and the brain waves generate signals. The doctors can then isolate brain waves most associated with ADHD. The second grant is led by doctors from the University of Buffalo. It focuses on the correlation between ADHD and bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. This helps determine affects of ADHD drugs on mood disorders and helps regulate prescription dosages.