Influence of methylphenidate on motor performance and attention in children with developmental coordination disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

Orit and colleagues gave methylphenidate to children who have both ADHD and developmental coordination disorder. Each child took the drug for one block and no drug for another block. The team tested motor skills and attention in both blocks.

The design let each child serve as their own control. No extra group was needed.

When kids took methylphenidate, both their movement scores and their attention scores rose. The gains were medium-sized and clear enough to see in single-case charts.

The drug helped two problem areas at once: wiggly bodies and wandering minds.

Ganz et al. (2009) saw similar attention gains in autistic children with ADHD. Both studies used crossover designs and found medium benefits, showing the drug can sharpen focus across related diagnoses.

Rimmer et al. (1995) tested methylphenidate in autistic kids years earlier. They found only small hyperactivity drops, while Bart et al. (2013) now show medium motor-plus-attention gains. The newer data suggest kids with DCD plus ADHD may respond better than those with classic autism.

Mao et al. (2014) showed that children with ADHD alone already have balance problems. Orit’s team proves that methylphenidate can actually lift those motor scores when DCD is also in the mix, turning a known deficit into a treatable target.

If you work with children who trip over their own feet and can’t sit still, this study gives you a reason to talk with families and physicians about medication. Better motor control can mean safer playground play, neater handwriting, and longer focus during table tasks. Track both areas in your session notes; you may see gains in fine-motor play right alongside fewer call-outs and off-task looks.