News Sources: ADHD Drugs Called into Question

Drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have no long-term effectiveness and could stunt your child's growth, according to a new long-term study of 600 children across the U.S. since the early 1990's. Meanwhile, scientists have conceded that test results have that have prompted the parental craze to dole out ritalin to their kids may have been exaggerated. Reporters looking for sources to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including the following (click on names for contact information):

Jaine Strauss - Professor and Chair of Psychology, Macalester College - Strauss, a clinincal psychologist, recently wrote an article on the effects of the stimulant Ritalin on children with attention deficit disorder and oppositionality disorder for the American Psychological Association's Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

Barbara Schecter - Director of the Graduate Program on Child Development, Sarah Lawrence College - Schecter is an expert in adolescence and gender, aesthetic development and ethical issues in psychology.

Leslie Rescorla - Professor of Psychology/Director of the Child Study Institute, Bryn Mawr College - As a clinical developmental psychologist, Rescorla's most sought after expertise and research is on "expressive language delay" in children. She has also completed research on the "hurried" child syndrome, the health of homeless children and the academic expectations in mothers of preschool children.