The effect of methylphenidate-OROS® on the narrative ability of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Only 12 children were tested, so the result could reflect this small group rather than a wider pattern. There was no separate comparison group of typically developing children, so the study cannot show how the children would perform relative to peers. Each child gave a single off-medication and single on-medication narrative, so a story sample may not represent typical performance. The children were of different ages, and developmental differences in narrative ability may have affected the scores. The study could not compare ADHD subtypes, so effects may differ between inattentive, hyperactive or combined presentations. Some narrative scoring categories had low rater reliability, which makes the exact scores less certain.

The paper does not report funding sources or a conflict-of-interest declaration. It does state that the timing of the post-medication assessment was decided in consultation with a representative from the pharmaceutical company.

Do not conclude that methylphenidate-OROS alone treats language impairment. The children were also receiving speech-language therapy, and the contribution of medication and ongoing speech-language therapy cannot be separated. It also did not improve word output, vocabulary variety or sentence complexity.