ADHD Medication Doesn’t Affect Child’s Growth

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is commonly treated with a "stimulant" medication, which has aroused speculation that it could stunt a child's growth.

A new study suggests that this type of medication does not affect children's final height in adulthood, according to the publication Medical News Today.

Researchers examined 340 children with ADHD who were born between 1976 and 1982 and compared their final height in adulthood with a control group of 680 children who did not have the disorder.

Neither an ADHD diagnosis itself nor treatment with stimulant drugs was linked to a significant difference in growth or final height, compared to the average for that age and gender, according to Dr. William Barbaresi, lead author of the study and a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at the Boston Children's Hospital, according to 89.3 KPCC.

The only significant effect that researchers reportedly found was that boys treated with the medication for at least three years dealt with a six-month delay in the peak growth spurt. However, there was no difference in the ultimate height of the boys.  

There was also no link between a longer period of treatment with stimulants and final adult height, according to the researchers.

The recent research findings adds to the evidence suggesting that "this is not an issue that people have to worry about," stated Stephen Faraone, a psychologist at SUNY Upstate Medical University who researches ADHD.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, 5% of children have ADHD, but studies in the U.S. indicate that this rate is actually higher. Recent surveys of parents have reportedly found that around 11% of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011, totaling 6.4 million.