According to a recent article in ScienceDaily, the perception that children are taking medication for ADHD impacts the behavior of teachers and parents.
Stimulant medications such as Ritalin and Adderall are accepted treatments to stem hyperactivity in children with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and improve their behavior. Now a recent review of research by University at Buffalo pediatric psychologists suggests that such medication, or the assumption of medication, may produce a placebo effect -- not in the children, but in their teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate them.
A placebo effect is a positive change in symptoms or behavior after a patient receives a "fake" medication or procedure; in other words, the belief can become the medicine. In this case, the review suggested that when caregivers believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication, they tended to view those children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether or not medication was actually involved.
"The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD," said UB researcher Daniel A. Waschbusch, Ph.D., lead author of the review.
"We speculate that the perception that a child is receiving ADHD medication may bring about a shift in attitude in a teacher or caregiver. They may have a more positive view of the child, which could create a better relationship. They may praise the child more, which may induce better behavior."
The analysis supported the hypothesis that producing changes in how caregivers behave toward children with ADHD who they think are on medication produces changes in the child.
Read the full article at ScienceDaily. As a parent, please comment to this post and share how your perceptions of and actions toward your ADHD child may change as a result of your child taking ADHD medication.
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