At first, I was skeptical.

Could prescribed medication really help children
diagnosed with ADHD? I became convinced
the answer is yes after several years of
working as a counselor. I witnessed children
dramatically improve their functioning
in school and social situations after
taking medication.

The case of John* is an excellent example.

After three years of taking Adderall, he
requested to discontinue using his medication
at the start of fifth grade because he thought
it no longer necessary. Often when kids
are doing well they think they don’t need
medication anymore. It is similar to when
you take Tylenol for a headache: When you
feel better, you don’t take it. Kids assume the
same for their ADHD medication.

The first month without Adderall, John
thought he was doing fine, but his mid-
term progress report said otherwise. He was
receiving a D in math and Cs in his other
subjects. His parents wanted him to go back
on the medication to see if there would be an
improvement. After taking Adderall again for a week,
John’s mother checked in with his teachers,
who reported a dramatic improvement in
both the quality of his schoolwork and his
ability to pay attention during class. “He is
a totally different kid. He stopped fidgeting,
and he was able to focus for extended periods
of time. His responses to the questions were
thoughtful and correct,” they said.

John continued to take his medication
for the remainder of the school year and
received an A in math class. He received As
and Bs in his other classes, which resulted in
receiving honor roll. He proudly displayed his
certificate in his room.

I worked with many children who
experienced similar positive effects of taking
medication to help their ADHD.

TEN TI N,
Three Benefits of
Prescribed ADHD
Medications for Children
BY CHERYL MAGUIRE
IMPROVED GRADES
IN SCHOOL
Most schools require sitting still and paying
attention for six hours, which is exactly
what students with ADHD struggle with.

The National Resource on ADHD states that
prescribed medication can help attention
span, impulsivity and focus, especially
in structured environments. All of these
improved behaviors can lead to better
grades in school.

Additionally, a study conducted at the
National Institute of Mental Health found
students who took medication for ADHD
did better in math and reading compared
to students with ADHD who did not
take medication.

HISPANOLISTIC / E+
24 Washington FAMILY OCTOBER 2021



IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS
Children with ADHD have difficulty making
friends because they may not pay attention
to social cues. Their impulsive behaviors
can also be annoying or hurtful to their
peers. Sometimes their impulsivity can lead
to aggression.

One child I worked with thought other
kids were making fun of him. When I
investigated this situation I found the
children actually wanted to be friends with
him. He was misreading the other children’s
social cues, causing him to feel both angry
and left out.

According to an NIMH-sponsored study,
children who took ADHD medication
showed more improved social skills and peer
relations than children in the non-medicated
comparison group after 14 months.

medication, a child can improve both their
social skills and school performance, which
would improve their self-esteem. As in the
case with John, he proudly displayed his
honor roll status in his room.

Research studies have also examined
how ADHD medication can be beneficial
in sports settings. A study done at the
University of Kentucky found children who
took medication for ADHD performed better
during baseball games.

IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM
However, medication isn’t a magic pill.

Often children with ADHD have poor self-
esteem due to the difficulties they experience I like to use the analogy that medication is
in school and social situations. By taking like a shovel. A person can dig a hole with
their hands, but if they use a shovel it will be
easier. But the shovel is not going to magi-
cally dig the hole itself; the person still needs
to do the work. Medication can be a tool
that helps make it easier for children with
ADHD to focus and be less impulsive, but
they still must put in the effort to complete
their schoolwork.

Medication can also have side effects and
may not be effective for everyone. There are
other ways to treat ADHD, such as counseling,
behavioral management and alternative
treatments like acupuncture. Often a com-
bination of counseling and medication can
be most effective. Ultimately, the child and
parents must make
an informed deci-
sion about which
method or meth-
ods will work
best for them. n
Cheryl Maguire
has a master’s in
counseling psychology.

Her writing has been
published in The New York
Times, National Geographic,
Parents Magazine,
AARP and many other
publications. You can find her
on Twitter at
@CherylMaguire05. *name has been changed for privacy
WashingtonFAMILY.com 25