Over the past five years, ADHD has become the default diagnosis for small children who can't sit still, with nearly 10 percent of kids ages 4-17 labeled as having the disorder since 2007.Obviously not every child has an attention disorder. Now, a new brainwave-measuring hat approved by the FDA this week may help avoid some of those misdiagnoses, and correctly identify kids who actually have ADHD.The device, called the Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) System, is based on technology that measures electrical impulses given off by neurons in the brain. Specifically, it tests for the ratio between theta and beta waves, as studies have found that children with ADHD tend to have more betas than those without the disorder. So kids suspected to have ADHD would put the cap on for 15 to 20 minutes, and the test would theoretically confirm whether the diagnosis is correct.To gain approval, the device manufacturer NEBA Health submitted a clinical study that evaluated 275 children, ages 6 through 17, with attention and behavioral issues. In a statement Monday, the FDA said that the trials found that the NEBA System improved the accuracy of ADHD diagnoses, but cautioned that the device has to be used in conduction with other clinical measures, like behavioral and IQ testing, physical exams, and interviews.But neither the FDA nor the company has released the full results of the study, raising questions about whether the NEBA System cap actually improves ADHD treatment, or simply makes diagnosis more expensive. Without the results, it's hard to know how much better the cap is at diagnosing ADHD, compared to traditional measures."When a child walks into the office, we already know there's a problem. The issue is whether it's ADHD or something else," Rachel Klein, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center, told ABC News Wednesday. "We have no idea whether [the makers of NEBA] have been able to discriminate ADHD from something else."The American Psychiatric Association says that between 3 and 7 percent of children and adolescents have ADHD, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 10 percent of school-aged kids are now diagnosed with the disease.ADHD isn't cheap—according to CDC estimates, the disease costs between $36 and $52 billion per year, putting the annual cost per patient between $12,005 and $17,458. And with more kids than ever being prescribed Adderall, it's clear that ADHD is big business. While the NEBA cap may not be the perfect solution, there is clearly a need for more accuracy in diagnosing ADHD.
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