Does ADHD treatment enable long-term academic success? (Yes, especially when pharmacological and non-pharma treatments are combined)

Academic difficulties are one of the most important adverse consequences of ADHD, and they frequently contribute to parents’ decision to seek treatment for their child. Whether treatment consistently yields a positive impact on long-term academic success is thus an important issue; however, the answer to this question has been somewhat controversial. A study published recently in the Journal of Attention Disorders, Long-term outcomes of ADHD: Academic achievement and academic performance, represents the most comprehensive effort to date to identify and synthesize research related to this important question. The Study: The authors began by identifying all studies published between 1980 and 2012 that reported long-term academic outcomes for youth with ADHD; this was defined as at least 2 years beyond an initial baseline assessment. All studies included a comparison group — either a normative comparison sample or youth with ADHD who were not treated — or a comparison measure, e.g., a pre-treatment baseline measure of academic achievement to which subsequent achievement could be compared. Academic outcomes were categorized as achievement outcomes or performance outcomes. Achievement outcomes refer to results of standardized achievement tests and reflect knowledge that children have acquired. Performance measures address actual performance at school setting, e.g., school grades, years of schooling completed, graduating from high school. etc. Thus, performance outcomes a...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Attention & ADD/ADHD Brain/ Mental Health academic difficulties AD/HD-treatments long-term academic success non-pharmacological Source Type: blogs