ADHD Meds have been shown to improve concentration, attention, and even short-term memory; however, there is a growing body of research reporting that academic outcomes (grades, achievement scores, and repeating a grade) are no different for students with ADHD who take meds and those who do not. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.7 million kids were taking medication for ADHD in the U.S. as of 2007, the most recent data available.
A summer study out of Quebec looked at 4,000 middle-school aged boys, and found that the ones who took ADHD meds actually performed worse in school than those with a similar number of symptoms who did not take medication. Girls taking the medication reported more emotional problems, according to a working paper published on the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit economics research firm.
What can we learn from these studies? It is important to realize that research findings are showing that the medicine proves effective on classroom behaviors like sitting still and interrupting the teacher less, but it doesn’t help with other factors important to successful completion of homework or test-taking. Even if children can focus, drugs don’t help them with what to focus on; rather, it needs to be coupled with cognitive control skills training, such as memory work, working memory in the form of making application of learned information and increasing processing speed. It is important to build new neurons and strengthen the synapses for a more efficient brain!
Unlike ADHD drugs, cognitive skills training for the brain causes structural changes in the brain to permanently increase the attention skills and reduce or eliminate focusing struggles for those with ADHD. Brainjogging is a rapid and efficient solution! Just 5 to 7 minutes, twice daily, prepares the mind for the day! Add at least 18 cognitive control therapy sessions and the individual is amazingly preparing for lifelong learning!
Make the formula for success a comprehensive one, involving the family, the child, the teacher, the pediatrician, the therapist, and other professionals who can lift the child up for a lifetime of success!
Tags: Achievement Outcomes, ADHD, Concentration, Focus, Learning Disabilities, Medications, School, School Success