Calm down and have a cookie.

Researchers with the University of North Texas have started interviewing about 200 third- and fifth-grade students in 11 elementary schools in the Denton school district for a study exploring an alternative treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

But can a cookie really treat ADHD symptoms?

It could, said researchers, because these aren’t regular cookies.

Researchers plan to test children with ADHD using chocolate chip cookies loaded with amino acids and B-vitamins during a 14-week study that begins in January.

DRC/Candace Carlisle

A 9-year-old Denton school district student begins her attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment test on Thursday with graduate student Kimberly Porter. Researchers at the University of North Texas have begun to assess third- through fifth-grade students in the Denton ISD as part of an ADHD study.

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Often, children with ADHD have trouble concentrating and sitting still — a requirement in a school setting — often leaving those individuals unable to reach their full potential, said Dr. Trent Petrie, professor of psychology at the university.

“It’s all about regulating emotions for a specific time,” Petrie said.

The cookies are loaded with amino acids and B-vitamins, similar to those found in supplement pills, but in an easier form for children to swallow, said Dr. Patricia Kaminski, associate professor of psychology at the university.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein in the body, helping to build skin cells and neurotransmitters.

The latter is the crux of the study — to fix neurotransmitters that malfunction, she said.

“We’re using logic and working backward,” Kaminski said.

Children start reliably showing symptoms of ADHD in the third grade, which makes them the ideal age for research, Kaminski said.

Right now, children with ADHD must rely on stimulants like amphetamines and methylphenidates for treatment.

And while stimulant medication will often improve performance, much like caffeine can enhance performance, it isn’t ideal, she said.

“We really don’t know the long-term effects of neurological active medication,” Kaminski said. “There is a press for something with [fewer] side effects.”

About one in four children who are treated for ADHD are misdiagnosed due to quick grading scales by doctors and an attitude of trying the medication to see if it helps, Kaminski said.

Instead of the “quick diagnosis” that can occur by pediatricians asking only a few questions, researchers will run the potential research candidates through a battery of rigorous evaluations that include asking parents and teachers to fill out various assessments of the children and dig into the child’s background, she said.

 “There are not enough resources [for some clinics] to do a thorough analysis,” Kaminski said. “But because we are a training clinic we can do it cheaply.”

The idea of a modified diet isn’t a new idea to help control symptoms of ADHD, but a focus on amino acids is, said Dr. Robert C. Young of ADD ADHD Treatment Center in Plano.

Young said he has spent the last 30 years treating ADHD in children.

“It’s not known to be effective,” Young said. “I’ve never tried treating someone with steak and eggs.”

Prescription medication works about 90 percent of the time for children with ADHD, Young said.

And he said he’s skeptical about using amino acids and B-vitamins for ADHD treatment. Interpreting the data from the study will be difficult since ADHD can disappear as children age and the disorder affects individuals differently, Young added.

“It’s going to have to be proven to me,” he said. “Until something comes along better, I’ll stick to what I’m doing.”

NeuroAssist, a private company footing the $268,000 bill for the study, said it has already seen this method’s success in private practice and would like the scientific proof this study could potentially lend to back it up, said Petrie.

Children in the study will get half a cookie in the morning and the other half after dinner, and cookie logs will chart their progress, Kaminski said.

Each child will receive a $20 gift card at the end of the study and will be eligible for a $100 gift card.

Parents will receive reports on their children’s progress and have the opportunity to continue cookie treatment for a month free of charge, she said.

Teachers will evaluate children in their class taking the amino acid cookies with a 45-minute online questionnaire three times throughout the study and complete weekly check-in assessments.

By partnering up with the school district, the schools will receive compensation for every child they monitor for the 14-week study, said Petrie.

From week-to-week no one, save one UNT assistant professor uninvolved with the study, will know which group of children will get the cookie loaded with amino acids and which ones are eating the placebo. Researchers said they have already done the taste test on cookie samples and can’t taste the difference.

The cookie is made in Minnesota, designed to last six to nine months in its package and has a “cocoa-chocolate-y flavor,” Petrie said.

“Everyone is blind to it and in the end we will look at the data and ask — did we see improvements?” he said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her email address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com.

Symptoms of ADHD

* Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work or other activities;

* has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities;

* does not seem to listen when spoken to directly;

* fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat;

* gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected;

* talks excessively;

* blurts out answers before questions have been finished;

* has trouble waiting one’s turn.

* Some symptoms that cause impairment were present before age 7 years

* Clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school or work functioning

To find out more information on how your child can be evaluated for participation in the UNT ADHD study, visit http://web3.unt.edu/

adhdstudy, call (940) 369-6ADD or e-mail adhdstudy@unt.edu.

Source: American Psychiatric Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.