Long Acting Stimulant Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Young Children

This protocol involves an 8-week, open-label, pilot study evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of Ritalin LA in treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 4 and 5 year old children. The purpose of this study is to ascertain pilot data on the use of long-acting stimulants in preschool-age children since virtually no data exist on these medications in this population. The interventions include utilizing short-acting methylphenidate for the initial dosing and titration and then converting the children to Ritalin LA once an optimal dose has been found. Parents will also be receiving parent education training throughout the study. Evaluations will include obtaining the ADHD-IV at every visit, side effects of the medication, vital signs, EKG, physical exam, the Clinical Global Assessment Scale, and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement and Severity Scales. This study will also assess parent stress with the Parent Stress Index and the emotional index of the children with the Expressed Emotion Scale for Children. Follow-up will be weekly during the first month and bi-weekly during the second month.