A clinical review of outcomes of the multimodal treatment study of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (MTA)

Abstract

Over the past decade, the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder has provided a bewildering wealth of data (more than 70 peer-reviewed articles) addressing treatment-related questions for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, the take-home messages for clinicians may not always be clear. Therefore, this article reviews key findings, including relative benefits of medication and behavioral treatments, long-term effects at 2 and 3 years, treatment mediators and moderators, preliminary delinquency and substance use outcomes, and growth suppression related to stimulant use. Appropriate interpretations of the findings and their limitations are discussed, and recommendations for clinical practice are derived.