A population-based study of stimulant drug treatment of ADHD and academic progress in children.

To access publisher's full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.We evaluated the hypothesis that later start of stimulant treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder adversely affects academic progress in mathematics and language arts among 9- to 12-year-old children. We linked nationwide data from the Icelandic Medicines Registry and the Database of National Scholastic Examinations. The study population comprised 11,872 children born in 1994-1996 who took standardized tests in both fourth and seventh grade. We estimated the probability of academic decline (drop of ≥ 5.0 percentile points) according to drug exposure and timing of treatment start between examinations. To limit confounding by indication, we concentrated on children who started treatment either early or later, but at some point between fourth-grade and seventh-grade standardized tests. In contrast with nonmedicated children, children starting stimulant treatment between their fourth- and seventh-grade tests were more likely to decline in test performance. The crude probability of academic decline was 72.9% in mathematics and 42.9% in language arts for children with a treatment start 25 to 36 months after the fourth-grade test. Compared with those starting treatment earlier (≤ 12 months after tests), the multivariable adjusted risk ratio (RR) for decline was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-2.4) in mathematics and 1.1 (95% CI: 0.7-1.8) in language arts. The adjusted RR of mathematics decline with later treatment was higher among girls (RR, 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2-6.0) than boys (RR, 1.4; 95% CI: 0.9-2.0). Later start of stimulant drug treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated with academic decline in mathematicsPfizer Novartis University of Iceland Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS

A Systematic Review of the Evaluation of Academic Decline in Medical Students

Background & Objective: Students’ academic decline is one of the major problems of higher education institute in the country. For this reason, many studies have been performed on this subject, but they have achieved different results. This study aims to collect and compare researches carried out nationwide on this subject. Methods: Using the information on online systems and databases such as Iranmedex, Sid, Magiran, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct Eric, the keywords "Medical students", "educational failure", "academic growth" and "academic achievement" were searched. The papers were divided into two categories of related and unrelated. Results: From the total of 152 papers the irrelevant articles were eliminated, and from the 32 remaining papers only 9 articles had the required criteria for the study. In terms of content analysis, sex, accommodating in dormitory, employment, marital status, age, pass rate, noticeable gap between acquiring diploma and university entrance were considered as affecting factors on academic decline. Conclusion: These factors can be considered as effective factors in academic decline since they are common in previous published articles. However, in these articles academic decline determinants are different and no specific cut point has been defined. Due to the importance of the subject and its effects on academic decline it is recommended that it be specified. Keywords Academic decline Medical students Systematic revie

Needs Assessment to Explore Support for Spouses Affected by Military Life

Service members and family members currently have more challenging life situations due to multiple wartime deployments (Bowen & Martin, 2011). Spouses of military personnel suffer from problems at home when their loved ones are deployed. Problems may include intermittent single parenting, financial strain, and limited access to resources. These problems can lead to domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, and children’s social or academic decline (Lincoln & Sweeten, 2010)

Factors Contributing to Psycho-Social Ill-Health in Male Adolescents

Objective: To study the prevalence of psychosocial problems in male adolescents and find out various factors contributing to psycho-social ill health. Methods: 500 adolescents were interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire to elicit the information about the psychosocial problems including depression, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. Association of academic performance, family problems, psychological problems and substance abuse was also included. Results: More than one third (39.6%) adolescents were having psychological problems. These problems were significantly higher in middle adolescence (14-16 years), large extended families (> 8 members) and lower socioeconomic status. Residence had no significant relation to psychological problems in the adolescents. On correlation, these adolescents with psychological problems were having significantly more academic problems, family disputes, domestic violence, lesser number of close friends and greater substance abuse. Conclusion: Considering that male adolescents from large families with lesser education and lower income had higher prevalence of psychosocial problems, it is essential for health care planners to design comprehensive family and health education programs for the adolescents. The family support, teacher student rapport and peer group communication should be strengthened to counteract unsafe behaviours in the adolescents

The Relationship Between The Behaviors Of Students With An Emotional Impairment And The Beginning Of Academic Decline Or Success

The poor academic and post-secondary outcomes for students with EI have been well documented for decades. Few studies exist, however, that explore where the breakdown in academics begins. Instead of compiling data that adds to this knowledge base, this study explored the academic status of students through multiple data sources. The goal of this was to determine at which level, early elementary, late elementary, middle school, or high school, a breakdown in academics can be detected and at which level interventions should occur. It also attempted to answer the question as to whether or not special education services, specifically a BIP, do indeed achieve their goals and increase academic achievement. One hundred thirteen students eligible for special educations services under the emotionally impaired category comprised the sample to research the first two questions and eight students, also eligible under the emotionally impaired category, made up the sample for the last question. Statistical analyses for the first two questions showed statistically significant differences for grades and achievement scores between the early elementary (k-2) and high school (9-12) clusters and the late elementary (3-5) and high school (9-12) clusters. Analysis of the means for each data point shows that interventions should occur during the late elementary grade cluster. Analysis of the data points for question three showed no statistically significant differences in pre-BIP to pot-BIP implementation grades. These results indicate that the prevailing theory about the interaction between academic achievement and interfering behaviors should be revised. A new theory should include the effect academics and interfering behaviors have on one another through a mediating factor, academic interventions

Analysing Design and Technology as an educational construct; an investigation into its curriculum position and pedagogical identity (BERA Blog Post)

The hierarchical status of academic disciplines, what design valuable or legitimate knowledge and what should we teach our children is a topic of much debate. Amidst concerns of an academic decline, tackling the culture of low expectation and anti-intellectualism, the need to address social justice, and its by-product of cultural reproduction, is arguably the focus of current education policy. Set within the UK, this paper presents a critical review of the literature relating to disciplinary knowledge and teaching and learning regimes influencing design and technology. Specifically, we seek to explore the subcultures which exist between design and technology and its associated curricula counterparts that combine to produce ‘STEM’

Adolescent Mental Health Literacy: Young People\u27s Knowledge of Depression and Social Anxiety Disorder

Scott Greenspan outlines a brief overview of the introduction, methods, results, and implications of this study focusing on the level of knowledge young people have on mental health. The author makes the argument that school-based programs to increase mental health literacy will be of great benefit to students and the school community in general. The original study can be found in the Journal of Adolescent Health

The perceived impact of social support received from coaches of injured college athletes

Includes bibliographical references

Timing of Stimulant Treatment for ADHD and Effect on Academic Progress

Investigators at University of Iceland, Reykjavik, and other centers in Iceland and in USA studied the probability of academic decline (drop of >5.0 percentile points) in ADHD children according to drug exposure and timing of treatment start between National Scholastic Examinations