Study: Many kids misdiagnosed with ADHD

December 7, 2010

Monday, December 06, 2010

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Last year, 4.5 million kids in the United States were

diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more than seven percent

of all kids in the country. But a new study shows more than a million of them

may have been misdiagnosed, and the real solution lies in some vision revision.

Once she starts reading, Katy Kluck can't stop. So her mom was puzzled when Katy

started struggling with schoolwork.

" I couldn't really focus because there were so many questions on the page, " said

Katy.

" Once they heard that Katy could not focus, immediately they said well, she has

an ADD problem, " said Ann Kluck, Katy's mom.

Afraid of using meds, Ann Kluck did some research, which led her to an

optometrist.

" One of the questions that we ask parents is to decide whether it's an organic

attention problem or maybe more related to a vision problem, " said Press,

O.D., a development optometrist at Family Eyecare Associates.

Exams found Katy's eyes didn't work well together, the words moved and turned

blurry.

She kicked-off eight months of vision therapy. It's a workout using computer

gaming, training the brain to use both eyes together.

" One of the eyes only sees the red target, the other one only sees the blue

target. So if you're going to do this well, you have to use both eyes well

together, " said Press.

Vision experts say 60 percent of kids labeled as problem learners actually

suffer from undetected vision problems.

But some have doubts. The American Academy of Pediatrics says vision therapy may

give parents and teachers a false sense of security that a child's problems are

being addressed.

" I was always the kid who was falling behind in class, " said Caroline .

But after vision therapy, said her grades " skyrocketed back up. "

So did Katy's.

" It makes me feel good because I'm getting good grades, " Katy said.

It's the kind of progress that both mom and patient are proud of.

Vision therapy isn't typically covered by vision insurance, but some major

medical plans do cover this therapy. Six-months to a year of therapy sessions

can range from $2,500 to $5,000.

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