Language-based Learning Skills and ADHD: Impact of Treatment With Sustained-release Guanfacine

LANGUAGE-BASED LEARNING SKILLS AND ADHD: IMPACT OF TREATMENT WITH SUSTAINED-RELEASE GUANFACINE

Background:

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often do poorly in school (1,2,3). Their slow academic progress is typically attributable to inattention, restlessness, disorganization and distractibility, all of which diminish their ability to learn. Additionally, these manifestations of ADHD may worsen an underlying specific learning disability (SLD), which is a common comorbidity of ADHD (1,4,5).

Treatment for ADHD is often initiated with the goal of enhancing learning and fostering academic success. Yet changes in academic achievement resulting from the pharmacological treatment of ADHD have been less evaluated in clinical research than changes in specifically defined behaviors. Such behaviors typically include lack of attention to task, fidgeting, calling out, disorganization and hyperactivity. These behaviors, rather than overall academic improvement, are also what are measured with typical ADHD rating scales (6).

A relatively small number of clinical studies have assessed the impact of medications for the treatment of ADHD on academic progress during childhood or adolescence. Some of these studies (3,7) have focused on long-term measures, such as lack of grade retention and ultimate graduation from high school. Other research has tried to directly measure the effect of medication for ADHD on the ability to perform particular academic tasks. Typically, the ability to efficiently and correctly solve a series of arithmetical problems - first, with no treatment, and then while taking stimulant medication, has been measured (8,9). These studies have demonstrated that both methylphenidate-based and amphetamine-based stimulant drugs enable greater speed, efficiency and accuracy.