Seeing some articles in the press challenging the treatment of ADHD with stimulants — for example, the Times reports that although these improve student behaviour in the class room they don't seem to have an impact on the student's overall performance one way or another.

I am not sure how to square this with what I've learned from friends of mine who have taken these medicines to great effect, managing to get more control of their lives than ever, etc.

But putting aside these questions of fact, there is one thing the articles are not paying attention to that seems important:

It is a big positive impact to improve disruptive behaviour in the classroom, *regardless* of whether the former disrupter's educational outcomes are improved. Full stop. Disruptive behaviour is a huge and growing problem (more so now than ever) that impedes the ability of *everyone* to learn. It might be that by treating just one kid, you improve educational outcomes for thirty kids.

So while I'm sad to hear that these drugs may not be helping ADHD patients reach better academic performance, I think we might be missing the forest for the trees here...