The effect of methylphenidate and placebo on eye-hand coordination functioning and handwriting of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Israeli children who were diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder participated in the study. The children were assessed three times in a specially constructed battery of tests. The battery of tests included variables assessing eye-hand coordination skills, writing, and behavioral assessment of the teacher. The design was in the format of a double blind, randomized, crossover, placebo-control procedure. The results showed that methylphenidate (MPH) improved some cognitive functions of eye-hand coordination slightly better than placebo. In addition, behavior variables assessed by the teachers improved only under the influence of MPH.