All included treatments result ed in ADHD improvement .
On the basis of this literature review , a consistent pattern of improvement in pediatric ADHD patients ' core symptoms emerged across studies , study design s , and recommended treatment approaches .
OBJECTIVE The 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) guideline emphasizes monitoring and measuring outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD ; however , recommendations for how to measure improvement are less clear .
A long-term goal was to develop an outcome measure that assesses the quality of care for children with ADHD .
As a first step in that process , we conducted a literature synthesis on the efficacy and effectiveness of guideline -recommended ADHD treatments on patient outcomes .
Open-label study of dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
BACKGROUND This pilot study examined the efficacy and duration of the effect of dexmethylpheni date ( d-MPH ) given once-daily in subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) . METHOD Subjects aged 6 - 18 years ( inclusive ) with ADHD were enrolled in this 8-week , openlabel study . Outcome measures included the Conners'Teacher and Parent Rating Scales , the Attention Deficit Disorder Rating Scale ( ADDRS ) , the Clinical Global Impression ( CGI ) Scale , and teacher and parent visual analog scales to estimate the duration of efficacy .  d-MPH was initiated at a dose of 2.5 mg/day . The dose was flexible , based on response and tolerability , and could be increased in increments of 2.5 mg/day to a maximum daily dose of 30 mg/day . RESULTS Twenty-two subjects ( mean age , 8.7 + /- 0.4 years ) were treated . Significant improvements ( p < 0.0001 ) from baseline occurred in the Conners ' Teacher and Parent Rating Scales after 8 weeks . Of the evaluated subjects , 85.7 % ( 18 of 21 ) showed at least a 30 % improvement from baseline on the Conners ' Teacher Rating Scale , and 86.4 % ( 19 of 22 ) of subjects showed at least a 30 % improvement from baseline on the Conners ' Parent Rating Scale . Most subjects demonstrated an improvement on the ADDRS and the CGI-Improvement ( CGI-I ) scale . Median duration of effect was estimated at 6.2 hours ( teachers ) and at 7.5 hours ( parents ) . On average , patients gained 2.4 pounds over the course of the study . CONCLUSIONS A single daily dose of d-MPH was effective in controlling ADHD in children and was well tolerated . Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate chronic dosing with d-MPH
All included treatments result ed in ADHD improvement .
On the basis of this literature review , a consistent pattern of improvement in pediatric ADHD patients ' core symptoms emerged across studies , study design s , and recommended treatment approaches .
OBJECTIVE The 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) guideline emphasizes monitoring and measuring outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD ; however , recommendations for how to measure improvement are less clear .
A long-term goal was to develop an outcome measure that assesses the quality of care for children with ADHD .
As a first step in that process , we conducted a literature synthesis on the efficacy and effectiveness of guideline -recommended ADHD treatments on patient outcomes .