The trial of Concerta was headed by William E. Pelham, Ph.D., professor of psychology, pediatrics, and psychiatry at UB and one of the world's leading authorities on attention deficit disorder. Results appear in the electronic pages of the June issue of Pediatrics. Researchers have been working for some time to develop an effective and safe extended-release form of methyphenidate that will last from early morning into the early evening. There are few school nurses anymore, which means the children have to receive their medicine from the teacher or from someone in the school office.
Kids have to remember to do that.
The problems get worse as they get older, because teens don't want their friends to see them taking medication. All children took each regimen for a week. Teachers and parents rated the children's behavior and ability to attain daily goals during the week. In addition, children spent 12 hours on Saturdays in a classroom laboratory setting to allow researchers to evaluate the effects of each medication over time. Trained investigators monitored behavior during classroom work, games and recess.