Language is a complex cognitive function, characterized by a system of principles and rules that enable people to code their meaning in a symbol, and vice-versa. 1 It has both expressive and receptive components. 1 Under a natural course, oral language skills are developed first (pragmatic, phonological, morphosyntactic and semantic aspects), and then metalinguistic and written language skills are acquired. Arithmetic skills, in turn, are related to numerical properties and operations. 1 To develop arithmetic skills, three different systems are recruited, depending on the task: a nonverbal system (responsible for presenting the relationship between numbers); a verbal system (the numbers are expressed as a type of word); and a visual system (numbers can be decoded as Arabic numerals). 2 Development of the abovementioned cognitive skills is of utmost importance to the life of every human being within literate society. 3 For these skills to be adequately developed, children need to be integrated into various environments, and to acquire other levels of development. Recent reports have shown prevalences of alterations in written language and/or arithmetic performance of approximately 22% among Indian schoolchildren 4 and 54% among Brazilian schoolchildren. 5 Regarding the prevalence of specific learning disorders (dyslexia and/or dyscalculia), the same studies stated that the percentage was 3% in Brazil, 5 9% in Turkish-born children 6 and 7.5% in India 4. They also showed that high rates of comorbidities were present in children with
INTRODUCTIONAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a global prevalence of 5.3% among children and adolescents (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-4.5). 1,2 Symptoms of ADHD include inattention and excessive hyperactivity/impulsivity for the age or level of development; with impaired personal, social, and academic functioning. Due to the absence of biomarkers, diagnostic criteria focus on behavioral symptoms. 3 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence. 4 It is the most common behavioral disorder encountered by pediatric neurologists in clinical practice. 1
OBJECTIVEWe aimed to conduct a survey involving pediatric neurologists to obtain information on diagnostic and therapeutic management of ADHD and to compare the results with the current literature and guidelines.
METHODSAfter the study was approved by the Ethics Committee on February 20, 2018 (Research Ethics Committee approval number: 2,501,524), questionnaires were sent to pediatric neurologists.We performed a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire based on literature and consisting of 28 multiple-choice questions covering the following topics related to ADHD: diagnosis,
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