§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out what measures his Department have taken to(a) inform and (b) train (i) GPs, (ii) nurses, (iii) social workers, (iv) teachers, (v) parents and (vi) children on the symptoms of ADD and A DHD. [75740]
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§ Jacqui SmithIn recent years the Department has supported a number of initiatives taken by professional bodies and other agencies to raise awareness of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to facilitate accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. These include an evidence-base briefing for clinicians on the use of stimulant medication (1999) and factsheets for parents, teachers and young people on attention deficit problems and hyperactivity, both produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. We have also collaborated with the Department for Education and Skills in issuing guidance for teachers on promoting children's mental health, including attention deficit/hyperactivity, within early years and school settings; in 2001. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), at the suggestion of the Department, undertook an appraisal of the use of the drug methylphenidate for ADHD in children and issued clinical guidelines for its use, including information for patients, in 2000. This guidance was circulated widely among professional groups involved with attention deficit disorders. The Department has also grant-aided the ADHD national alliance, an organisation which helps to co-ordinate voluntary sector activity and development work in this field.
In general the content of professional training is a matter for the relevant professional bodies. However the Department's requirements for social work training from September 2003 will include elements covering child development and mental health and communication skills with children.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of children suffering from(a) ADD and (b); ADHD; and if he will make a statement. [75735]
§ Jacqui SmithNo estimates of prevalence that differentiate between attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been commissioned centrally. The prevalence of ADHD of all types is estimated at around five per cent. of school-aged children, approximately 345,000 six to 16 year olds in England. A survey by the Office for National Statistics of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain, published in 2000, found the prevalence of hyperkinetic disorders, including the severer forms of ADHD, to be 1.4 per cent. of five to 15 year olds.