IRVINE : Kids Needed for UCI Hyperactivity Study

UC Irvine’s Child Development Center is looking for children who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to take part in a two-year research project.

The $2.5-million study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and National Institute of Mental Health, will look at different ways of treating the disorder.

About 100 children between the ages of 7 and 9 are needed for the study. Some participants will receive the drug Ritalin, which is commonly used by doctors to treat hyperactivity, said Tim Wigal, assistant director of the Child Development Center.

Other children in the study will take Ritalin and work with psychologists and pediatricians as part of a special treatment program.

A third group of children will take part only in the treatment program.

Wigal said the goal of the study is to measure the effectiveness of Ritalin and look at new ways of dealing with hyperactivity, which often brings about learning and behavioral problems.

Children who take part in the study will be required to visit UC Irvine weekly, so officials said participants should live within 15 miles of the campus.

The UC Irvine research is part of a $16-million study of hyperactivity taking place in the United States and Canada.

For more information, call (714) 833-8588 before April 15.