title: The Effects of Stimulant Medication and Training on Sports Competence Among Children With ADHD.
abstract: The current study examined the relative efficacy of behavioral sports training, medication, and their combination in improving sports competence among youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were 73 youth (74% male; 81% Hispanic) between the ages of 5 and 12 diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) ADHD enrolled in a Summer Treatment Program (STP). The study consisted of a 2 (medication: methylphenidate, placebo) × 2 (sports training: instruction and practice, recreational play) between-groups design and was conducted over a 3-week period during the STP. Sports training was conducted with a novel sport, badminton, to limit previous sport knowledge and to differentiate it from concurrent sports training that occurred within the STP. Objective and subjective measures of sports skills, knowledge, and behavior were collected. Results indicated that, relative to recreational play, brief sports training improved observed and counselor-rated measures of sports competence including sports skills, knowledge, game awareness, effort, frustration, and enjoyment. During sports training, medication incrementally improved children's observed rule following behavior and counselor-rated sportsmanship relative to placebo. In the absence of sports training, medication improved behavior, effort, and sport knowledge. Training in sports skills and rules produced the largest magnitude effects on sports-related outcomes. Therefore, skills training, rather than medication alone, should be used in conjunction with behavioral intervention to teach sports to youth with ADHD. It is recommended that medication be used only as an adjunct to highly structured sports skills training for youth who display high rates of negative behavior during sports activities.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Altszuler
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Anne S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Brittany M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3844-8399
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.affiliation: b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bressler
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Fiona L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Macphee
authors.affiliation: c Center for Children and Families , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gnagy
authors.affiliation: c Center for Children and Families , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Greiner
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Stefany
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coxe
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5364-3825
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Raiker
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.affiliation: a Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology , Florida International University.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Pelham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants