( MENAFN - PR Newswire) MIAMI, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Groundbreaking research by ADHD pioneer William E. Pelham, Jr.
, who passed away last year, found that behavioral therapy – when used first – was less expensive and more effective than medication in treating children with ADHD. Building on this foundation, a new study by Pelham's team at the FIU Center for Children and Families , published in Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental health , sought to explore whether adding medication to the initial behavioral therapy-known to be the most effective first-step treatment-would improve outcomes. The findings revealed that children who started treatment with both behavioral therapy and medication showed more disruptive behaviors after the medication was discontinued compared to those who initially received only behavioral therapy and then added medication later in the treatment.
"We were shocked to discover that starting with a combined treatment approach could actually reduce the effectiveness of behavioral strategies," said Marcela Ramos , research assistant professor and lead author of the study. "Introducing medication alongside behavioral therapy may limit children's opportunities to fully engage with and benefit from behavior management techniques." The study involved 248 children, predominantly male (77%) and Hispanic (85%), who participated in CCF's eight-week Summer Treatment Program , designed for children with ADHD and related challenges.
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