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Biomedical subjects

K D Gadow

Publications and source records attributed to K D Gadow.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Administration of medication by school personnel.

Many students who receive drug therapy for a seizure or a behavior disorder must take medication during the school day. In order to determine how school personnel manage this situation, teachers were asked to complete individual questionnaires for 461 trainable mentally retarded students who were receiving pharmacotherapy for one or both of these disorders. The return rate was 86%. The results showed that: (a) more than one-half of the children took medication in school; (b) teachers were responsible for supervising this activity in 48% of these cases; and (c) the school had obtained written instructions from the doctor and a permission letter from the parents regarding medication in all but a small minority of instances. However, there was no daily record of drug administration for 55% of the students. Issues related to school involvement in the administration of medication are discussed.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1983

Pharmacotherapy for behavior disorders. Typical treatment practices.

The parents and teachers of 100 children receiving medications (primarily methylphenidate) for behavior disorders (primarily hyperactivity) were questioned about widely recommended treatment practices. The results showed that (a) in the majority of cases, pediatricians were responsible for supervising drug therapy; (b) most parents were satisfied with their current physician; and (c) approximately one half of the children had three or more office visits per year. However, teachers were rarely asked to use standardized procedures to evaluate drug response, and direct contact between teacher and physician was all but nonexistent. There was a considerable degree of disagreement between parents and teachers concerning drug efficacy, dosage, and the need for medication; and parents appeared to exert a considerable degree of control over treatment-related decisions. In general, drug-free periods were not scheduled on a regular basis, and evidence for an integrated multimodal treatment approach was lacking. The findings suggest that variables other than a clinically determined response to medication are often the salient elements of the treatment-related decision-making process.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

School involvement in the treatment of seizure disorders.

In has long been recognized that school personnel can play an important role in the treatment of seizure disorders. In order to better understand their involvement in the treatment process, two state-wide studies of special education programs were conducted. Teachers completed questionnaires for 315 pupils in their classrooms who were receiving drug therapy for a seizure disorder, and the mothers of 130 of these children were interviewed by telephone. The two investigations yielded similar results. Teachers were often not informed about the overt features of the seizures, side effects of the medication, or seizure management, even in the case of students who experienced seizures and/or side effects in school. In 70% of the cases, teachers were involved in either evaluating the response to treatment, administering medication, or managing (coping with) seizures in the classroom. They usually interacted with parents or other school personnel; direct communication with the physician was virtually nonexistent. Over one-third of the students were rated as more drowsy or sleepy than their peers, and, according to teachers, drug-induced impairments in adaptive behavior were a common problem. Collectively, these data suggest that in many cases, no one has assumed responsibility for coordinating the delivery of services for psychosocial treatment needs.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1981

Prevalence and pattern of drug treatment for behavior and seizure disorders of TMR students.

The prevalence and pattern of psychotropic and antiepileptic drug treatment for TMR children and adolescents in public schools were determined from teacher questionnaires and parent interviews. The relationship between drug use and age, race, and sex was also examined. The findings, indicated that during the school year, 10 percent of the students received medication for seizure disorders and 4.9 percent were treated for behavior disorders. An additional 1.8 percent were treated concurrently for both a seizure and a behavior disorder. The data also suggested that dosages of methylphenidate (Ritalin), the most frequently prescribed drug for persons with behavior disorders, were conservative. The results were interpreted with regard to drug use among nonretarded and severely and profoundly mentally retarded populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Effects of methylphenidate on learning a 'beginning reading vocabulary' by normal adults.

The effects of methylphenidate on reading was studied by having nine adults learn a beginning vocabulary of 96 Chinese characters under placebo and 5 mg and 10 mg methylphenidate by two teaching methods which differed in the rate at which new items were introduced for practice. Using lists composed of 12 characters and their English equivalents, all items were presented prior to the start of practice trials (simultaneous method), or each item was introduced only as the subject practiced items previously presented (progressive method). Learning performance was analyzed in terms of total errors and errors made at two criterion stages in list acquisition. Overall performance was significantly facilitated by the low (5 mg) dose or methylphenidate, but only with the simultaneous method. Significant drug effects were also obtained at criterion stages which were associated with high error rates. It was concluded that drug effects are likely to be most pronounced in difficult learning situations and that dosage appears to be an important variable for consideration in further studies.

Adult↗