Study: Kids On ADHD Score Higher On Tests

(AP)  Children on medicine for attention deficit disorder scored higher on academic tests than their unmedicated peers in the first large, long-term study suggesting this kind of benefit from the widely used drugs.

The nationally representative study involved nearly 600 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder followed from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Children's scores on several standardized math and reading tests taken during those years were examined. Compared with unmedicated kids, average scores for medicated children were almost three points higher in math and more than five points higher in reading. The difference amounts to about three months ahead in reading and two months in math, the researchers said.

Both groups had lower scores on average than a separate group of children without ADHD. The researchers acknowledged that gap but said the benefits for medicated youngsters were still notable.

"We're not trying to say in this study that medication is the only answer," but the results suggest benefits that parents, educators and policy-makers shouldn't ignore, said Richard Scheffler, the lead author and professor at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Public Health.

The researchers agreed that other treatment ADHD children often receive - including behavior therapy and tutoring - can help, but the study didn't look at those measures.

Most ADHD drug users in the study were on stimulants; the study didn't identify which ones.

About 4 million U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD. About half of them take prescription medication - often powerful stimulants like Ritalin - to control the extreme fidgetiness and impulsive behavior that characterize the condition.

Often, kids with ADHD struggle in class and get lower grades than their classmates. They also have higher dropout rates.

American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines say stimulant drugs are effective but that behavior techniques should also be used.

Teachers often advocate medication because it can calm disruptive behavior. But it's a contentious issue for many parents, worried about putting their kids on drugs that can have side-effects including decreased appetite, weight loss and insomnia.

Previous evidence suggests teachers give higher grades to ADHD kids on medication, but the study authors said that might simply mean teachers prefer them because they're better behaved than unmedicated children.

They said theirs is the largest, longest-duration study based on objective standardized academic tests suggesting that medicated kids may be better learners, too.

Psychiatrist Dr. Bennett Leventhal, who was not involved in the study, called the results impressive.

"It doesn't mean that every child with ADHD should be taking medication," but previous studies have suggested that most affected kids can benefit, said Leventhal, a University of Illinois-Chicago psychiatry professor.

The study appears in the May issue of Pediatrics, released Monday. A federal grant paid for the research; the authors said they have no financial ties to ADHD drugmakers.

Dr. Louis Kraus, a psychiatrist with Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, said he worries the study will make parents turn to medication without considering other options. Behavioral treatment generally should be tried first, Kraus said.

Blake Taylor, a 19-year-old Berkeley sophomore who's been on ADHD medication since age 5, said the results aren't surprising.

Medication "doesn't make me smarter," he said, "it allows me to focus, to be more organized."

He recalled doing poorly on a high school exam that he'd studied hard for, but he hadn't taken his ADHD medication that day. He said his mind kept wandering, thinking about war posters on the classroom walls and noise from children playing outside.

Taylor said when he was younger he sometimes skipped his medicine because, like many teens, "I didn't want to be different from my other classmates." Taking his medication was a reminder, he said.

His other treatments have included counseling and organizational tutoring; Taylor said daily cardio and weightlifting workouts help, too, using up excess energy.

[jane_the_great]

My friend and I who both have ADHD and both took the drugs decided one day that the feeling they give you is exactly the same as drinking an extra large black coffee on a empty stomach and then once that kicks in, (and your stomach starts getting twisted) smoking a joint.

I dunno, I wouldn't let my kids drink coffee or smoke joints... I think ADD is helped more by eating lots of the right proteins and getting enough sleep and exercise... but lazy parents might rather medicate I guess...

[AttyFAM]

The article was so badly written that I had to read it about three times to make any sense of it.

To the poster who claims ADHD medication contains cocaine - No, it does not. Most of them contain methylphenidate, which, like cocaine and heroin, is a Schedule II drug on the FDA schedules.

[shockolit]

Do you ever get the feeling that some of these online network news sites have oursourced their proofreading overseas?

[Ichabod09]

Is it just possible that attention deficit is a relative term? I mean, after all, how many students are using stimulants without having been diagnosed with ADD.

Oh, the answer to your question? Black market of course.

[sandy19731]

I wonder what the editor of this article was on.

[gold_standard]

Oh, Brave New World!

[jennifer-marie]

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of four, when her preschool teacher kept sending notes home about how my daughter couldn't sit still in class or focus on work for more than five minutes. We tried Alderol and Stratera - but the Alderol increased anger-fits and temper-tantrums, and the Stratera made her vomit every morning after breakfast.

Know what the solution was?

1 hour of television on week nights, no video games on week nights; and on weekends: two hours of television, one hour of video games. All of the rest of her time is spent reading, playing with toys, or playing outside. She's learning how to play the guitar, on a softball team, and even teaching her baby brother some things.

She's 9 now - and as long as she gets a good night's sleep, she's an angel and a straight A student.

No drugs.

Amazing what limits and physical activity can do for a child, hmm?

[dragyn30]

Proof read, CBS, proof read!!!

[jerry_in_va]

ADHD meds are absolutely beneficial when prescribed properly. There is a huge difference in result when stimulants which are ingested and introduced into the system via the digestive tract versus stimulants which are snorted and introduced into the system via the sinuses. When parents remain an active part of their children's growth, maturity and education these medical aids are tremendous. My son truly came into his own and flourished with the assist of ADHD meds to help him retain his focus. He will graduate from college next year and has already held internships in his field giving him valuable work experience to boost his employment prospects. The decision my wife and I made to give the meds to our son was not an easy one, but we have never regretted that decision and are very proud of his accomplishments.

[budmag06]

"Kids on ADHD"???