Awareness about and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in minority populations in the United States has increased over the past decade. The higher numbers diagnosed likely are the result of more widespread attention to signs, symptoms, and diagnosis.

As a result, ADHD has been increasingly recognized among African-Americans. As challenging as it can be to raise a child with ADHD, new research offers biological evidence that calm, positive parenting may help these kids master their own emotions and behaviors.

The study was conducted with parents of preschool children with the developmental disorder. The physiological effects of using compliments and praise instead of yelling and criticizing were almost instant, the researchers found.

“We were surprised at how fast it happened,” said study author Theodore Beauchaine, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University. “We evaluated moms and their kids before the intervention and after the intervention, which took a couple of months. Then we did a one-year follow-up.

“We expected that we may find some of these

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