A Review of Stimulant Drug Research With Hyperactive Children

SUMMARY A number of studies using stimulant drugs with hyperactive children are reviewed. Results indicated that most children are judged as improved on the drugs while a small percentage are not. Although most side effects are transitory, suppressed weight and height gain may remain problematic throughout treatment. The drugs appear to energize the central nervous system of these children while increasing their ability to concentrate without responding impulsively. Changes in other abilities are occasionally observed but appear to result from improvement in attentional processes. In contrast, follow‐up studies find the long‐term psycho‐social adjustment of these children to be essentially unaffected by stimulant drug treatment.