U.S. study finds ADHD meds lead to better test scores

Children with attention deficit problems do better in elementary school if they take stimulant medications, compared to similar kids who don't, a new study shows.

Previous research has shown that children who receive medication for ADHD behave better in class and can complete more homework. But this is the first long-term study to measure the effect of drug therapy on a child's long-term academic achievement.

The five year study of 594 schoolchildren with ADHD from across the U.S. followed the children from kindergarten through Grade 5. About 60 per cent of the children were taking medication, and most of those were stimulants. The study did not identify which medications the children used.

The 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 2.9 points higher in math and 5.4 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 they said the benefits for medicated youngsters shown with their study were still notable.

The study appears in the May issue of Pediatrics.

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

Study author Stephen P. Hinshaw, chair of the department of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, said the research is one more piece of evidence that ADHD medications are not "just about parents or teachers feeling better about the child or thinking he or she is more compliant."

"On an objective, rigorously-designed standardized test of reading and math ability, we have evidence there are 'real world' gains in achievement," he said

There are some 30 medications used to treat ADHD, including Ritalin and Focalin. The study was government-funded and did not have links to companies that make the drugs.