title: Parent and teacher ratings of attention during a year-long methylphenidate trial in children treated for cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Longitudinally examine attention performance in childhood cancer survivors prescribed methylphenidate (MPH) to ameliorate cognitive late effects, comparing measures for inter-rater and inter-method discrepancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 33) or brain tumor (n = 35), mean age 11.11 ± 0.37 years, completed a 12-month, open-label trial of MPH. Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scales were completed at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was completed at baseline and 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Improved attention was reported after 1 month of MPH (p < .05), with relative stability throughout the trial. Inter-rater agreement was low-to-moderate (ICC = -.06 to .46). Observer ratings correlated with select CPT indices at baseline (p < .05), but not at 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood cancer survivors' attention improved after 1 month on MPH. Modest agreement between parents and teachers, and low-to-moderate correlations between behavior ratings and performance-based attention measures highlight a need for multimodal assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 740, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. heather.conklin@stjude.org
authors.forename: Kelli L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Netson
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Conklin
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ashford
authors.forename: Lisa S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kahalley
authors.forename: Shengie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiong
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate