Countywide : UCI Seeks Children With Attention Disorder for Study

UC Irvine researchers are seeking children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to participate in what is expected to be a landmark study of treatments, including psychosocial methods and medication.

Participants must be between 7 and 9 years old and must be considered to have the disorder by parents, school officials or other health and educational professionals. They must also live within the Santa Ana, Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa or Fountain Valley school districts.

If the children qualify, they and their families will be assigned to one of four treatment groups: standard treatment in the community; medical treatment based on the use of medications such as Ritalin; psychosocial treatment based on certain behavioral techniques used in the home and at school, and a combined treatment using medical and psychosocial treatments.

The six-year study, conducted by the UCI Child Development Center, began in September, 1993, and is entering its second phase. The study will include 100 children, 50 in each phase. All will receive a free initial assessment and will be re-examined on a regular basis for several years.

The $15-million study, conducted at six sites across the country, was organized by the National Institute of Mental Health and is the institute’s largest clinical trial. Because it includes a school-based treatment, it is being co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The UCI Child Development Center was selected as a site after a national competition.

For more information about the study, contact Rachelle Berry at (714) 833-9089.