There have been some pros worth mentioning they occur as follows: Teacher reports have noted improved behavior, such as decreases in interrupting, fidgetiness, and finger tapping, and more suitable on-task behavior. Medication has also been shown to decrease fighting and other aggressive acts (Hinshaw, Heller & McHale, 1992), decrease signs of conduct disorders and noncompliance, and improve parent-child interactions. These positive results are utilized to formulate the argument that ADHD is chemically based. However, when glancing at these results one should dig deeper.
Stimulant medications do not work for 20-30% of school-aged children and 50% of preschoolers in the short term (Heward, 2009), and has a surprising effect on the behavior of children with other disorders and for typically developing children (Greenhill, 1998). This poses the question as to why the stimulants appear to work for some and not others? Are stimulants truly effective, is it a chemical entity, or is it merely a guessing game? …show more content…
The downside of the utilization of medication as treatment for ADHD is that the medication has not been shown to improve long-term outcomes such as academic performance and arrest rates. This finding has prompted researchers to state that "when stimulants work in the short-term, pharmacological intervention may be used as a crutch and may postpone or prevent the use of non-pharmacological interventions, which may be extra effective in the long run" (Swanson et al., 1993, p.
Stimulant medications do not work for 20-30% of school-aged children and 50% of preschoolers in the short term (Heward, 2009), and has a surprising effect on the behavior of children with other disorders and for typically developing children (Greenhill, 1998). This poses the question as to why the stimulants appear to work for some and not others? Are stimulants truly effective, is it a chemical entity, or is it merely a guessing game? …show more content…
The downside of the utilization of medication as treatment for ADHD is that the medication has not been shown to improve long-term outcomes such as academic performance and arrest rates. This finding has prompted researchers to state that "when stimulants work in the short-term, pharmacological intervention may be used as a crutch and may postpone or prevent the use of non-pharmacological interventions, which may be extra effective in the long run" (Swanson et al., 1993, p.