If your child has had an ADHD diagnosis and is struggling in school, he might not be getting the treatment he needs. A new study suggests that the behavior-rating scales used to diagnose ADHD fail to spot learning deficits found in as many as half of children with the disorder, and that medication alone is not enough to correct long-term learning problems.

Among the learning deficits going undetected are problems with memory, inhibition and speeded visual-motor tasks, according to Sandra Loo, Ph.D., an investigator on the UCLA study published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. For example, about 25 percent of children with ADHD also suffer from dyslexia. And these types of learning problems can lead to lower academic achievement.

“If a child with ADHD is having significant difficulties learning in school, parents may want to have their child tested” for learning disorders as well, Loo says. A full cognitive assessment might include tests of intelligence and academic achievement as well as memory, learning, fine-motor coordination and language.

The ULCA study, which looked at adolescents in northern Finland, also suggests that medication is failing to address the long-term learning problems associated with ADHD. Finnish kids rarely receive medication to treat ADHD, while U.S. children commonly do. Yet, in adolescence, both display roughly the same symptoms.

“When children with ADHD are having difficulty in school, medication alone is not sufficient,” says Loo. “Educational accommodations are also necessary to improve school functioning.”

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