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Cleveland Clinic summer camp one of the country's only camps that focuses on ADHD

Research shows link between teens on social media
Posted at 6:28 PM, Jul 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-27 18:28:14-04

For 11-year-old Guermillo Ramirez, life with ADHD comes with its challenges.

“It makes you have control of your impulses, like know that to tell your body not to like go down and pick up some grass," he said.

Managing his impulses is something he has to practice every day, and in the summer, he has some help through a special summer camp.

“They give you engaging things to do," Ramirez said.

He’s referring to the Cleveland Clinic’s Summer Treatment Program for children with ADHD, where they intentionally address the child’s behavioral, emotional and learning difficulties.

Experts say this type of help could soon be growing, given the new research from scientists at the University of Southern California who found teenagers who frequently use digital media are more likely to develop Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, according to a new study.

“[With] ADHD, 11 percent prevalence in the United States alone," said Dr. Michael J. Manos, ADHD specialist from the Cleveland Clinic.

They found that teens who used digital media the most were twice as likely to develop new ADHD symptoms over two years than teens who used social media the least. 

“When I first started doing this work, it was about 3 percent," said Manos.

As a result, the clinic’s summer program strictly limits the use of technology and cell phones, getting kids to interact and use their energy elsewhere, like on the softball field.

"We almost have no use, almost no use of technology," said Ramirez.

It’s something that his father Rodolfo Ramirez said has been extremely helpful for their entire family.

"It's meant the world to us, we feel blessed that we've found this camp," he said.

The Cleveland Clinic summer camp is just one of a few in the country specifically helping kids manage their ADHD.