Some children have attention deficit disorder.
They can't sit still no matter how hard they try and they have difficulty functioning in school because they learn poorly and disrupt classes. Children who come from families with social problems are the ones most likely to suffer from attention deficit disorder You would think that children who can't sit still would be helped by tranquilizers that slow them down, but it makes them even more hyperactive. They can't concentrate and tranquilizers make them even less able to concentrate. When they take stimulants, they concentrate better, slow down, stop to notice factors in their environment and do better in school. Articles in the recent issue of the medical journal, Archives of General Psychiatry, show that stimulants markedly improve attention span and behavior in children who have attention deficit disorder and tics.