This article describes some of the more common sleep disorders of childhood and presents the cornerstone for diagnosing pediatric sleep disorders as obtaining a detailed and accurate history followed by a comprehensive physical exam that includes screening for developmental delays and cognitive dysfunction.

The more important issue with sleep disorders is not so much the number of hours of sleep; it’s whether the child wakes up refreshed or not. Sleeping is about restoring the brain.Dr. Pelayo discusses his approach to treating sleep disorders, focusing on the key areas clinicians need to cover when getting a patient’s history.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

Rates of ADHD have increased significantly in the U.S. over the past several years, leading to an ongoing debate about the validity of the disorder. Because you are likely to be asked by patients (or their parents) about this issue, it’s helpful for you to have some background in exactly how much the prevalence has increased, and what factors may be driving this trend.

We are generally skeptical of the utility of newly approved stimulant preparations, unless they are actually new molecules. Over the last few years, several of these variations on older themes have been introduced; here is a handy table for your perusal should you be curious.

Dr. Brown is a pioneer of the executive function impairment concept. In this interview, he explains this impairment and how it relates to the current understanding of ADHD in children and adolescents.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

Today, the idea that adolescents and children, even young children, can have a major depressive disorder is widely accepted. This article presents a series of case studies to illustrate ways of evaluating depression in children.

In October of 2004, the FDA announced to drug companies that they should add black-box warnings about the risk of suicidal behavior in children and adolescents started on antidepressants. How have these black-box warnings affected clinical practice over the past decade?

This Expert Q&A covers key things that John Walkup, MD, looks for in child and adolescent patients with depression to determine how they are likely to respond to different kinds of medication.