Use of the psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPH) to treat selected symptoms of autistic disorder was evaluated with 10 children, ages 7 to 11. The double-blind crossover study using a placebo and two MPH doses found modest but statistically significant improvement on hyperactivity in subjects receiving the MPH rather than the placebo. No…

This report examines the ability of the nonpsychiatrist physician to provide mental health services in an effort to guide policymakers dealing with the question of whether nonpsychiatrist physicians can, or should, be used to offset the projected shortfall of psychiatrists. The maldistribution of psychiatrists is discussed in chapter 1 of this…

This publication summarizes the activities of the most recent meeting of the nation's most influential drug abuse professionals and measures progress in a variety of areas. Outcomes of symposia, meetings, and presentations are discussed. Symposia include: (1) "Is Dopamine the Answer? Evidence for the Importance of Other Systems in the…

This 1982 national survey on drug abuse is the seventh in a series of surveys since 1971 sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. To investigate the current prevalence of drug abuse in a nationwide sample, 5,624 randomly selected Americans (aged 12 and older) were personally interviewed in their homes using a specially designed answer…

This paper selectively reviews research on event-related potentials (ERPs) during cognitive processing among children with attention deficit disorder. Research indicates that performance deficits during sustained attention are coupled with reduced amplitude of the P3B component of the ERP, which may be increased with stimulants. P3B latency and…

The investigation assessed whether 6 learning-disabled boys (ages 10-12) who were taking stimulant medication reported fewer adaptive attributions in academic situations than their 8 nonmedicated peers. Boys who were not taking medication reported more internal-effort attributions in failure situations than boys who were taking medication.…

Twenty subjects (ages 7-13) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were administered a battery of tests (including the Auditory Continuous Performance Test and the Token Test for Children) twice, first when not taking and then when taking methylphenidate. Results indicated significant improvement in performance on all measures when subjects…

Research has suggested that behavioral differences may account for the effects of caffeine on information processing. To investigate the effects of caffeine on memory for supraspan word lists, 107 college students (47 males, 60 females), divided into 12 groups by high and low impulsivity scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory, participated in…

This report contains detailed statistics on the prevalence of drug use among American high school seniors in l983, and on trends in those figures since l975. The introduction provides an overview of the study design and purposes; defines the larger population represented by the survey samples; and discusses sampling procedures, questionnaires and…

Twelve children (ages 7-8) with attention deficit hyperactive disorder were administered the Selective Auditory Attention Test twice: after the administration of methylphenidate and after the administration of a placebo. Results revealed no simple drug effect but a strong order effect. (Author/JDD)

Determining whether stimulant medication improves learning or long-term academic achievement in children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder involves consideration of (1) the prescription of higher than optimal doses, and (2) overinclusive treatment involving adverse responders. A study designed to overcome these theoretical deficiencies…

This study examined use of psychotropic drug treatment with 488 children and youth. It found that younger children, girls, and those with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder were more likely than adolescent males with conduct disorders to receive medication. Stimulants, tricyclic antidepressants, and neuroleptics were the drug types most…

This review of 28 studies involving children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder concludes that there is little empirical support for cognitive training's clinical utility. The paper discusses cognitive training's efficacy as a single intervention and as an adjunct to stimulant treatment, and its impact on cognitive, academic, and…