Drug treatment benefited children in the amount of school work that they completed , by up to 15 % , and less consistently improved children ’s accuracy in specific types of academic assignments , such as arithmetic .
Methylpheni date , dexamfetamine and mixed amfetamine formulations all showed beneficial effects on children ’s on-task behaviour and academic work completion .
These review findings suggest that medication for ADHD has the potential to improve children ’s learning and academic achievement
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) has a significant impact on children ’s classroom behaviour , daily functioning and experience of school life .
However , the effects of drug treatment for ADHD on learning and academic achievement are not fully understood .
This review was undertaken to describe the effects of methylpheni date , dexamfetamine , mixed amfetamine salts and atomoxetine on children ’s on-task  behaviour and their academic performance , and to perform a meta- analysis to quantify these effects .
Efficacy of two long-acting methylphenidate formulations in children with attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a laboratory classroom setting.
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of two long-acting formulations of methylpheni date ( MPH ) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) in school-age children . METHODS Children 6 - 12 years of age diagnosed with ADHD and stabilized on MPH ( 20 - 40 mg/day ) participated in a five-way , r and omized , placebo-controlled , single-blind , crossover study conducted in a laboratory classroom setting . Children alternately received single doses of extended-release MPH ( ER-MPH ) 20 and 40 mg , modified-release MPH ( OROS-MPH ) 18 and 36 mg , and placebo over 6 consecutive weeks .  Efficacy was assessed using SKAMP rating subscales and written math tests . Data were examined using between-treatment comparisons of area under the curve ( AUC ) for change from predose values during hours 0 - 4 , 0 - 8 , 8 - 12 , and 0 - 12 . Safety was assessed . RESULTS Fifty-three children completed the study . For all efficacy measures , improvements from predose were significantly greater with ER-MPH 40 mg than with OROS-MPH 36 mg in terms of AUC(0 - 4 ) ( p < or = 0.005 ) , AUC(0 - 8 ) ( p < or = 0.006 ) , and AUC(0 - 12 ) ( p < or = 0.035 ) . For most measures , ER-MPH 20 mg was equivalent to both doses of OROS-MPH in AUC(0 - 4 ) , AUC(0 - 8 ) , and AUC(0 - 12 ) . No serious adverse events were reported . CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of ER-MPH 20 mg is similar to that of OROS-MPH 18 and 36 mg during the first 8 hours postdose . Statistically greater benefits are observed with ER-MPH 40 mg than with OROS-MPH 36 mg and persist through hour 8 . Active treatments show comparable efficacy from 8 to 12 hours postdose . Both doses of each MPH formulation are well tolerated
Drug treatment benefited children in the amount of school work that they completed , by up to 15 % , and less consistently improved children ’s accuracy in specific types of academic assignments , such as arithmetic .
Methylpheni date , dexamfetamine and mixed amfetamine formulations all showed beneficial effects on children ’s on-task behaviour and academic work completion .
These review findings suggest that medication for ADHD has the potential to improve children ’s learning and academic achievement
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) has a significant impact on children ’s classroom behaviour , daily functioning and experience of school life .
However , the effects of drug treatment for ADHD on learning and academic achievement are not fully understood .
This review was undertaken to describe the effects of methylpheni date , dexamfetamine , mixed amfetamine salts and atomoxetine on children ’s on-task  behaviour and their academic performance , and to perform a meta- analysis to quantify these effects .