The topic for review is Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is found in over two million children and is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in childhood. ADHD in children has become a major public health concern. ADHD results in impaired relationships, behavioral problems, and academic difficulties. Persistent ADHD results in further problems in adolescence such as conduct disorder and substance abuse. Treatment of ADHD includes the use of methyphenidate in conjunction with behavioral therapies. This medication is a stimulant that affects the nervous system and it remains unclear whether the medication is effective with regard to academic and behavioral problems and what dose is optimal (Evans, Smith, Gnagy, Pelham, Bukstein, Greiner, Altenderfer, & Baron-Myak, 2001; Molina & Pelham, 2003).
"Dose-response effects of methylphenidate on ecologically valid measures of academic performance and classroom behavior in adolescents with ADHD" by Evans, Smith, Gnagy, Pelham, Bukstein, Greiner, Altenderfer, and Baron-Myak (2001). The purpose of this study was to fill in the gaps in the literature and examine the effects of methylphenidate on classroom behavior and academic performance in 45 adolescents with ADHD. The authors noted that previous research had presented findings related to whether stimulant medication helped adolescents with ADHD and studies had examined effects of stimulants on academic functioning in children in laboratory settings. However, there was a lack of comparable study of adolescents in real life settings. The authors sought to examine classroom performance in naturalistic settings.
For the study the adolescent participants (40 males and 5 females) were enrolled in a summer program, conducted by an ADHD program. All participants had chronic problems at home and school due to ADHD. Parent interviews and parent and teacher rating scales were used to gather data...