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Biomedical subjects

K D Gadow

Publications and source records attributed to K D Gadow.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Clinical issues in child and adolescent psychopharmacology.

During the past two decades psychopharmacologists have made considerable strides in establishing the safety and efficacy of psychotropic drug therapy for childhood behavior disorders. Most of the research has focused on children with disruptive behavior disorders, autism, or mental retardation, but more recently other disorders such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, separation anxiety (school refusal), and Tourette syndrome are also receiving attention. Psychopharmacotherapy has often been a matter of controversy, with most issues pertaining to either the appropriateness of medication (e.g., rationales for treatment, alternative interventions, toxicity, iatrogenic effects) or inadequacies of clinical management (e.g., availability of services, drug assessment procedures, limitations of research). This article presents a brief overview of the safety and efficacy of psychotropic drugs and the issues associated with their use in clinical settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Methylphenidate in aggressive-hyperactive boys: I. Effects on peer aggression in public school settings.

One of the least documented "known" effects of methylphenidate in hyperactive children is the suppression of peer aggression. In this study, 11 aggressive-hyperactive children received a low (0.3 mg/kg) and moderate (0.6 mg/kg) dose of methylphenidate and placebo for 2 weeks each under double-blind conditions. Children were observed in public school settings during classroom seatwork activities, lunch, and recess. Results showed that methylphenidate suppressed nonphysical aggression (p = 0.06) in the classroom, and a moderate dose decreased physical aggression (p less than 0.01) and verbal aggression (p = 0.07) on the playground. The effect on the rate of appropriate social interaction was variable. The majority of subjects exhibited either the same or higher levels of appropriate social interaction on the 0.6 mg/kg dose compared with placebo. In the classroom, both doses of methylphenidate also resulted in reduced levels of motor movement, off-task behavior, noncompliance, and disruptiveness. Teacher ratings of hyperactivity and conduct problem symptoms revealed drug effects, whereas parallel parent instruments did not.

Aggression↗
PubMed1989

Methylphenidate treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in boys with Tourette's syndrome.

The effects of methylphenidate on four boys diagnosed as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS) were examined under single-blind, placebo-controlled conditions. Clinical ratings and playroom observations showed improvement in ADHD symptoms with methylphenidate. Results also indicated that methylphenidate had no untoward effects on the frequency of tic occurrence. In all four children, the highest dose resulted in improved classroom ratings of tics compared with initial placebo treatment. In three cases, mild tic exacerbation was reported for a lower dose. Because variability of tic status was observed in the experimental conditions, the findings suggest the possibility that tic response was independent of clinical doses of methylphenidate. The findings were also consistent with the theory that methylphenidate, a dopamine agonist, might effect tic status by altering dopamine receptor sensitivity. Further investigation of these effects is indicated, given the efficacy of methylphenidate in treating ADHD symptoms of TS patients.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1989

Field experiments of television violence with children: evidence for an environmental hazard?

The findings from 20 field experiments were examined to determine the short-term effects of viewing aggression-laden television shows on child social behavior. The available literature provides little support for an effect that is peculiar to aggressive content. In fact, although almost all studies showed elevated levels of antisocial behavior following the viewing of similar material, they also revealed similar, and sometimes greater, effects in response to low or nonaggressive fare. These findings are discussed with regard to their clinical relevance for preventive medicine and implications for imposing "wholesome" television programming on child viewers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The immediate impact of aggressive cartoons on emotionally disturbed and learning disabled children.

The immediate impact of viewing aggressive cartoons on emotionally disturbed (ED) and learning disabled (LD) children's willingness to hurt another child was assessed. Fifteen ED and 23 LD children (M = 7.25 years old) viewed either an aggressive or a comparison cartoon and then played the Help-Hurt game. The children who watched the aggressive cartoon pressed the Hurt button for significantly more time than did those who were exposed to the comparison cartoon. Across cartoon conditions, the ED children pressed the Hurt button significantly longer than did their LD peers.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1988

Effects of cartoons on emotionally disturbed children's social behavior in school settings.

Four classes of emotionally disturbed (ED) children (20 boys and 6 girls, age: M = 8.1 yr) were exposed to six aggressive and six control cartoons. Treatment effects were assessed using direct observations of five categories of behavior during lunch and recess for baseline and the two cartoon conditions. The results revealed significantly more nonphysical aggression following the control cartoons than during baseline across setting and more physical aggression following the control cartoons relative to the aggressive cartoon and baseline conditions in the recess setting. The findings are discussed with regard to their clinical implications and comparability with other field experiments.

Aggression↗
PubMed1987

Psychotropic drug treatment among learning-disabled, educable mentally retarded, and seriously emotionally disturbed students.

Psychotropic drug treatment in learning-disabled (LD), educable mentally retarded (EMR), and seriously emotionally disturbed (ED) children and adolescents receiving public school special education services was examined. The findings indicated that while treatment prevalence rates for EMR and ED groups were comparable, the rate for LD students was much lower. In the LD sample, pharmacotherapy was associated with higher ratings of behavioral deviance, longer placement in special education, less social integration, and greater peer rejection, which suggests that symptom severity is an important determiner of pharmacotherapy in this population.

Achievement↗
PubMed1987

Effects of viewing aggressive cartoons on the behavior of learning disabled children.

Forty-six learning disabled children (M = 7.6 years) were exposed to six aggressive and six control cartoons in school. Treatment effects were assessed using direct observations of five categories of social behavior. There were no main effects for condition, and neither initial aggressiveness nor gender interacted significantly with condition for any of the behaviors. There was a significant interaction of condition with IQ: the low IQ group became significantly more physically aggressive following control compared with aggressive cartoons. The results from the present study are compared with the findings from other field experiments, and their clinical relevance is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1987

Reality perceptions of television: a comparison of emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, and nonhandicapped children.

The Stony Brook Videotest (SBV), a measure of reality perceptions of television programs and commercials, was administered to 38 emotionally disturbed (ED), 35 learning disabled (LD), and 159 nonhandicapped elementary school children. The ED and LD children scored significantly lower than the comparison group, indicating that ED and LD children are less able to distinguish between reality and fantasy on television. The clinical implications of these findings and possible remedial actions are discussed.

Affective Symptoms↗