Researchers from the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York have concluded that more than 90 percent of pediatric specialists who diagnose and manage ADHD in preschoolers do not follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical treatment guidelines.

According to Time Magazine, the researchers sent a Preschool ADHD Treatment Questionnaire (PATQ) to a random sample of 3,000 physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating neurobehavioral conditions nationwide.

"The doctors reported on how often they recommended strategies such as training parents in behavioral management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), how often they relied on medication as a first or second-line treatment, as well as which drugs they prescribed most often."

In 2011, the AAP revised guidelines for diagnosing kids with ADHD. The study's lead author Dr. Andrew Adesman, the chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park spoke about the decision to revise the guidelines.

"Those guidelines were important in that they extended down from age six down to age four. For the first time pediatricians were given guidance in how to approach the management of ADHD in preschoolers."

Following the expansion of the population that could be diagnosed with the condition came advice on how to treat the youngest patients.

Adesman says that in general, pediatricians have been especially uncomfortable diagnosing ADHD in very young children. Doctors tend to turn to medical specialists like child neurologists, child psychiatrists and developmental behavior pediatricians to make a diagnosis.

Currently, the AAP recommends that behavioral therapy should be the first type of treatment offered to preschoolers with ADHD, followed by medication only if the behavior interventions are unsuccessful.

The study was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies in Washington D.C.