While the number of children medicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to rise, a new study shows that the number of kids who actually take such medication varies by season, says a recent report on WebMD.
According to research published this month in the American Sociological Review, middle and high school students are 30 percent more likely to have a prescription filled for stimulant medication during the school year than they are during the summer. However, these rates aren't uniform across class or location. Students from higher-income families, and students who live in states whose governments more closely monitor school performance, are more likely to only take medication when school is in session.
The article on WebMD reported that researchers also found that the trend was more pronounced among families with private insurance than those with public insurance. Using this indicator, researchers concluded that wealthier children were going off medication during the summer at a higher rate than less wealthy children, as public insurance programs like Medicaid serve families with limited resources.
Notably, ADHD is associated with a number of attributes that could be detrimental in school settings, such as forgetfulness and inattention. For those reasons, the study notes, stimulant medication like Adderall or Ritalin can help improve academic performance for students both with and without ADHD.