Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Stimulant Drug Therapy Helps Kids With ADHD

READERS:
An 18-year-study on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), indicates that treatment with prescription stimulants is associated with improved long-term academic success for children with ADHD.

The Mayo Clinic study is the first to offer population-based data to show stimulant drug therapy helps improve long-term school outcomes.

In addition, a related Mayo study reveals that compared to children without ADHD, children with ADHD are at risk for poor long-term school outcomes such as low achievement in reading, absenteeism, repeating a grade, and dropping out of school.

Both studies appeared in the August/September issue of the "Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics" and provide the first solid evidence of the long-term negative academic performance associated with untreated ADHD — as well as evidence for the benefit from treatment.

Nearly 2 million children, or approximately 3 percent to 5 percent of young children in the United States, have ADHD. This disorder affects a child's ability to focus, concentrate and control impulsive behavior. This disorder is so common that most school classrooms have at least one child with clinically diagnosed ADHD.

The finding that treatment with stimulant medications is associated with long-term improvement in school outcomes is significant, according to William Barbaresi, M.D., Mayo Clinic pediatrician and the study's lead investigator. Previously, there was evidence that treatment with stimulant medications improved short-term academic performance, but there was no good evidence that long-term outcomes are better with stimulant treatment. The new data can guide clinicians in their efforts to help children with ADHD succeed in school.