Educators' knowledge and attitudes regarding stimulants in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Educators often are asked to provide information regarding students' responses to medication used for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We designed a questionnaire to determine the knowledge and attitudes of educators regarding stimulants. Two hundred ninety-one regular classroom and special education teachers in two Ohio school systems received the questionnaire; the overall response rate was 65%. Our findings suggest that educators generally believe stimulants are useful for students with ADHD and that they frequently recommend them to parents. However, educators indicated their knowledge of the effects of stimulants was limited and that they had received little education about stimulants. Physicians requesting input from educators regarding students taking stimulants should be aware of the limitations of educators' knowledge and participate in the development of programs to improve that knowledge. J Dev Behav Pediatr 13:215–219, 1992. Index terms: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, stimulant medication, special education, educators' attitudes.