As someone who is also working with kids who has ADHD, Autism, Asperger syndrome. I have seen no long term positive effects from medication and ADHD. Instead what I have noticed is that kids who are taking Ritalin etc stop responding logically to other treatments and positive changes in their environment. With these medications, what you are left with are young children who suddenly experience extreme highs and lows. Looses appetite. Starts "seeing things" that are not there. Some become introverted, some become the opposite. There's suddenly no logic to anything when on medication. The side effects are awful and we really don't have any evidence that the medication work or indeed that ADHD really exists. The answer is that this is really just big business and creating junkies out of our kids is highly profitable. Related: Playlist with criticism about psychiatry and big pharma