MONDAY, April 27, 2009 (Health.com) — New York City mom Nancie Steinberg recently received some great news at a parent-teacher conference for her 11-year-old son. The medication that her fifth grader takes to treat his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seemed to be making a difference in the classroom. “The teachers always had to have him by their right kneecap to keep him focused, but now they feel that he is very focused, an active participant and overall his academics are better,” she says, breathing a sigh of relief.
Now, if a new study is correct, these improvements may actually spill over to his performance on standardized math and reading tests. Elementary school-aged children with ADHD who take medication seem to do better on such standardized tests than their non-medicated peers with ADHD, according to a study in the May issue of Pediatrics.
“Previous research has shown that when children are medicated for ADHD, they get better grades, their teachers like them more, they are less impulsive and they stay focused longer, but we have never been able to say that they learn more, until now,” says lead study author Richard M. Scheffler, PhD, the distinguished professor of health economics and public policy in the School of Public Health and Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.
The gains seen in test scores, however, do not erase the test score gap seen between children with ADHD and their peers who do not have the behavioral disorder, the researchers say. About 4.4 million children in the United States have ADHD, which is marked by impulsivity, hyperactivity, and difficulty focusing.
In the study, the researchers looked at survey data from more than 21,000 children who entered kindergarten in 1998 and were followed through fifth grade. They took a closer look at 594 children diagnosed with ADHD who had survey data from all five years. The children with ADHD who took medication scored 2.9 points higher in mathematics tests and 5.4 points higher in reading tests than their peers with ADHD who were not taking medication.
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Comments (16)
hi pls can you send some inf about pills that can take kids with ADD,
Sure, if you put someone on amphetamines, they’re going to perform better. I still can’t believe that doctors are just handing out prescription speed…thats what Adderall and Vyvanse are and ritalin isn’t far off. Schools have programs to get kids to “say no to drugs” while they push hard drugs at them to fix supposed behavioral problems. Put any of these kids in front of a video game and see how focused they get.
who woulda thought adderall works for people other than college kids?
Ok, I was on adderal for 5 years. The side effects are awful!!! Not worth it.
My son is on 54 Mg of concerta and he is a typical 4th grader now :)
in other news: new study shows that painkillers may relieve pain.
I have been diagnosed with ADD for over 20 years now and I’m here to tell you that drugs are not the answer. When I was younger I was a mobile tornado, kinda like Taz. When I started going to school I was prescribed to ritalin. Now while I was prescribed to this (90mg. per day) I was alot calmer and it was easier to concentrate but I feel that I lost out on a great number of social learning, after all I didn’t have a single friend until I was about 12 years old. While drugs may seem to be good for short term results I believe that the day I made the decision to stop taking my medication is the day I awoke. Developing a strong mind and learning strong self discipline are far more effective than ritalin or adderall. It just seems like parents today are the ones with ADD
As a mental health professional, these posts concern me. Good for you Bill glad you are apparently doing well. Let be real here, a “strong mind” and self discipline are not enough for many. Often its the pills that help kids better implement the skills. If I simple told a child or their parent they needed a stronger mind and voila, NO ADHD… I’d be sued and lose my license. Its ridiculous how many non professionals purport to know better than and to give anecdotal or piecemeal feedback and advice. I wonder if you would be so glib talking about a seizure disorder, kidney disease, leukemia, or other serious issue? Of course not, but too many people like Bill spout off as if they have child psychiatry expertise solely based on their vast training of having been a kid once. Kind of like saying, hey, once had a cavity and saw a dentist, I think I can give advice just like a dentist.
Watch the film: Generation Rx
Betty, go to school, some say its better professional training than a film.
I can see where your coming from Dan. And I do believe that there are certain people who really do need these drugs but my biggest argument is the volume of which these drugs are being prescribed. In my opinion to many people are turning to these drugs rather than actually being parents. Kids are hyperactive and can be more than a handful at times but writing off a prescription should not be the norm. Perhaps I’m wrong but that’s the way I feel about it.
There is a difference between studying it, and going through it, just saying…
My husband and I feel our childs well-being is in our hands. My son was born 3 1/2 month premature and he was diagnoised with ADHD since kindergarten, it took us 2 years to finally put him on medication, but I feel we did the right thing for his best intrest and I do not and will not regret it. I want my son to achieve in life but he needed something that could control his behaviors in school. we have given him the option to stop taking the medication, and he choose to continue. My husband and I feel we are great parents.
wow
i am on tenex for my adhd. does anyone know anything bad about that medicine??????
Dan, ADHD is a disease that is severely over diagnosed by many professional child psychiatrists such as yourself. I believe this fact alone shows lack of “expertise” on this one particular subject.