Review of the evidence suggests that  task performance  may be useful in identifying individuals with ADHD at risk for academic impairment .
However , the evidence is less compelling for identifying youth at risk for impaired social functioning or poor health outcomes .
The review also found that task performance is likely useful for predicting response to treatment with methylpheni date .
Across studies , evidence indicated that interpreting task performance in an integrated manner , such as a factor score or mean score , was more consistently useful for predicting outcomes of interest than interpreting performance from a single task .
The role that neuropsychological task performance plays in the assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) is currently ambiguous , and findings are mixed regarding whether tasks have validity for diagnosing the disorder .
Irrespective of their validity for diagnosing ADHD , neuropsychological tasks could provide valuable information to mental health professionals if they can inform recommendations for treatment targets and modalities .
Therefore , this review sought to synthesize the available evidence related to the use of neuropsychological task performance as a tool for informing treatment planning for youth with ADHD .
Review ed studies focused on examinations of associations between task performance and academic , social , and health outcomes , as well as response to treatment .
Adolescent substance use in the multimodal treatment study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (MTA) as a function of childhood ADHD, random assignment to childhood treatments, and subsequent medication.
OBJECTIVE To determine long-term effects on substance use and substance use disorder ( SUD ) , up to 8 years after childhood enrollment , of the r and omly assigned 14-month treatments in the multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( MTA ; n = 436 ) ; to test whether medication at follow-up , cumulative psychostimulant treatment over time , or both relate to substance use/SUD ; and to compare substance use/SUD in the ADHD sample to the non-ADHD childhood classmate comparison group ( n = 261 ) . METHOD Mixed-effects regression models with planned contrasts were used for all tests except the important cumulative stimulant treatment question , for which propensity score matching analysis was used . RESULTS The originally r and omized treatment groups did not differ significantly on substance use/SUD by the 8-year follow-up or earlier ( mean age = 17 years ) . Neither medication at follow-up ( mostly stimulants ) nor cumulative stimulant treatment was associated with adolescent substance use/SUD . Substance use at all time points , including use of two or more substances and SUD , were each greater in the ADHD than in the non-ADHD sample s , regardless of sex . CONCLUSIONS Medication for ADHD did not protect from , or contribute to , visible risk of substance use or SUD by adolescence , whether analyzed as r and omized treatment assignment in childhood , as medication at follow-up , or as cumulative stimulant treatment over an 8-year follow-up from childhood . These results suggest the need to identify alternative or adjunctive adolescent-focused approaches to substance abuse prevention and treatment for boys and girls with ADHD , especially given their increased risk for use and abuse of multiple substances that is not improved with stimulant medication . Clinical trial registration information-Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder ( MTA ) ; http:// clinical trials.gov/ ; NCT00000388
Review of the evidence suggests that  task performance  may be useful in identifying individuals with ADHD at risk for academic impairment .
However , the evidence is less compelling for identifying youth at risk for impaired social functioning or poor health outcomes .
The review also found that task performance is likely useful for predicting response to treatment with methylpheni date .
Across studies , evidence indicated that interpreting task performance in an integrated manner , such as a factor score or mean score , was more consistently useful for predicting outcomes of interest than interpreting performance from a single task .
The role that neuropsychological task performance plays in the assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) is currently ambiguous , and findings are mixed regarding whether tasks have validity for diagnosing the disorder .
Irrespective of their validity for diagnosing ADHD , neuropsychological tasks could provide valuable information to mental health professionals if they can inform recommendations for treatment targets and modalities .
Therefore , this review sought to synthesize the available evidence related to the use of neuropsychological task performance as a tool for informing treatment planning for youth with ADHD .
Review ed studies focused on examinations of associations between task performance and academic , social , and health outcomes , as well as response to treatment .