Testing the ability of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to accurately report the effects of medication on their behavior.
Kids with ADHD sometimes know when meds kick in, but accuracy rides on dose size and side-effects, so verify with data, not chat.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked kids with ADHD to guess if they had taken medicine that day.
Each child tried many times across different doses.
Researchers then checked the guesses against pharmacy records.
What they found
Half the kids beat chance, but half did not.
Higher doses and strong side-effects made guesses more accurate.
When behavior changed a lot, kids noticed more often.
How this fits with other research
Lee et al. (2016) pooled PedsQL™ child scores and found kids can rate their own life quality.
That seems to clash with our paper, yet the tasks differ. Yi-chen asked about weeks of feelings; our paper asked about a pill taken hours ago.
Nevin et al. (2005) showed dose changes shift impulsivity in the lab. Our study adds that the child may not feel that shift unless it is big or brings side-effects.
DeRoma et al. (2004) showed DISC-IV child answers only partly match doctor diagnosis. Together, the three papers warn: child words are data, not proof.
Why it matters
Do not trust a child’s “I don’t feel it” alone. Pair their words with dose logs, behavior counts, and side-effect checklists. Raise dose slowly and watch for outward change, because the child may not sense small shifts.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often treated with central nervous system stimulants, making the evaluation of medication effects an important topic for applied behavior analysts. Because assessment protocols emphasize informant reports and direct observations of child behavior, little is known about the extent to which children themselves can accurately report medication effects. Double-blind placebo-controlled procedures were used to examine whether 6 children with ADHD could recognize the effects of their medication. The children were given math worksheets to complete for 15 min during each of 14 sessions while on medication and placebo. Children completed a self-evaluation form at the end of each session, and ratings were compared to observed behavior and academic performance. Results indicated that 3 children were able to accurately report their medication status at levels greater than chance, whereas the accuracy of reports by all children was related to dosage level, differences in behavior, and the presence of adverse effects. The implications of these results for placebo-controlled research, self-monitoring of dosage levels, and accuracy training are discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2000 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2000.33-593