Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are often treated with "stimulant medication" that has some people concerned that it may be interfering with a child's growth. However, based on a study conducted by the American Academy of pediatrics, this may not be the case.
This disorder is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental conditions that occurs about 5% of children worldwide. In the United States, A recent survey suggests that there is 11% of children between the ages of four and 11 are diagnosed with ADHD, that is about 6.4 million American children afflicted with the condition. ADHD is characterized mainly by a child's inability to pay attention, his tendency to become overly active, and a lacking ability to control impulsive behavior. The root causes of ADHD are not fully known, but doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that genetics plays a factor for the development of the condition.
Using stimulant medication therapy for children with ADHD may seem counterproductive, but the drug used for this condition has a significant calming effect on the children. Statistics show that 70 to 80% of the children who were treated with this type of medication respond positively. To address the concern of whether these medications interfere with the child's growth pattern, researchers observed nearly 350 children who were taking the medication to treat ADHD. After a comprehensive study of the correlation between the subjects' adult heights and treatment information, the team was able to establish that neither the stimulant treatment nor the ADHD had any significant impact on the their final height during adulthood. They did take note that male subjects with ADHD who were undergoing the stimulant medication experience their growth spurt later than those were not treated. However, there was no notable difference between their growth spurts or their final adult heights. This led researchers to conclude that: "[our] findings suggest that ADHD treatment with stimulant medication is not associated with differences in adult height or significant changes in growth."
