ADHD kids are able to keep up.

• Position: Exercise - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Medications used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder allow youngsters to exercise just as strenuously as their non-ADHD counterparts, indicates a study from Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. The research also found such medications do not provide children with ADHD an edge by stimulating their athletic efforts past normal levels, notes Tony Mahon of the university's Human Performance Laboratory.

"When some children with ADHD exercised off their medication, they were unable to reach their full exercise potential," points out Mahon, a physical education professor and associate chair of the Exercise Science Division. "However, when tested on medication, they demonstrated very typical maximal exercise responses. The children were able to concentrate better while on their prescriptions, which allowed them to reach their potential."

Kids diagnosed with ADHD have significant difficulties with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and poor attention spans. ADHD is a neurologically based disorder, not the result of bad parenting or obnoxious, willful defiance on the part of the child. About five to 12% of America's youth have been diagnosed with the disorder. Mahon's study examined individuals between the ages of eight and 12 to review...