| About 30% of children with ADHD also have | | | | study also shows that even if your child does not |
| some form of reading disorder, such as dyslexia. | | | | have a known reading disability, treating his ADHD |
| Recently, a study was done to examine whether | | | | may still improve his reading ability significantly. |
| or not ADHD treatment helped these children with | | | | The results of the study were not all good, |
| their reading problems. The study was funded by | | | | however. A number of children had side effects |
| the pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company | | | | from taking the medication, though none of them |
| and was done using their flagship product, | | | | serious. Yet Strattera is known to cause some |
| Strattera. | | | | serious side effects, including abnormal mood |
| In this 16 week study compared two groups of | | | | fluctuations and even suicidal thoughts. |
| ADHD children. The first group consisted of 20 | | | | Conclusion |
| children with ADHD who had no diagnosed reading | | | | The results of this study suggest that a child's |
| disorder. The second group consisted of 36 ADHD | | | | ADHD interferes with the child's normal ability to |
| children who also had a diagnosed reading disability. | | | | read. I say this because even children with no |
| After taking Strattera for 16 weeks, both groups | | | | known reading disability were able to make |
| of patients showed almost 50% improvements in | | | | significant gains in reading level just by receiving |
| their ADHD symptoms like inattentiveness, | | | | treatment for their ADHD. If this is true then it |
| hyperactivity and impulsivity. Additionally, children | | | | should not matter how you treat the ADHD, as |
| who had a reading disorder jumped two years in | | | | long as you do something to treat it. |
| reading skills from their level before the study. | | | | With that in mind, significant improvements in |
| Interestingly, the children without reading disabilities | | | | reading ability should occur when you use other |
| also improved their reading skills by almost a year | | | | treatments for ADHD, such as Ritalin, other |
| and a half. Improvements in reading ability as well | | | | stimulants, or even natural ADHD treatments. |
| as reading comprehension were shown in both | | | | Since no one has yet to investigate the use of |
| groups. Also, advances in spelling ability were | | | | other treatments for treating ADHD and reading |
| recorded for both groups. The ADHD group | | | | disorders, no one can say for sure whether or |
| jumped almost nine months and the group who | | | | not this speculation is true. |
| had a reading disorder along with ADHD jumped | | | | All that we really know so far about the |
| almost 10 months. | | | | connection of ADHD and reading disorders is that |
| This study is significant for a number of reasons. | | | | in one small study, ADHD children both with and |
| First of all, up to 30% of ADHD children also have | | | | without reading disabilities were able to make |
| reading disabilities. While there is no real evidence | | | | significant gains in their reading level when their |
| that having a reading disorder makes a child's | | | | ADHD was treated. This study points out that it is |
| ADHD symptoms any worse, it definitely has a | | | | extremely important to treat ADHD and that |
| negative impact of school performance. The | | | | such treatment should help school performance. |