A new study has found that four common classroom accommodations for grade school students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder had no positive effect on their learning or behavior.
Seventeen researchers led by Florida International University’s Center for Children and Families found in a randomized study that students in summer treatment programs given extra time, frequent breaks, a standing desk and a “low-distraction workspace” made no progress — and some even became less productive.
Published Friday in JAMA Pediatrics, the study analyzed 255 children in kindergarten through sixth grade who enrolled in the programs from 2022 to 2025. Of them, 235 completed the study.
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By contrast, stimulant medication and behavioral modification reduced rule violations, and medication also raised quiz scores and seatwork productivity.
The study included class periods with both independent assignments and those with group work followed by quizzes.
The researchers concluded that evidence does not support longstanding special treatments. They said schools would do better to emphasize “well-established approaches such as stimulant medication and/or behavior therapy” in student interventions.
“Results suggest that efforts directed toward provision of academic classroom accommodations for students with ADHD need additional study before continued deployment,” the researchers wrote.
ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects millions of children. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused, forgetfulness, excessive fidgeting and impulsive behavior.
There is no exact count of children who suffer from it. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that a survey last year found roughly 13.8% of children aged 5 to 17 had been diagnosed with the condition at some point.
The JAMA Pediatrics study pointed to estimates that up to half of students with ADHD receive special accommodations from schools.
It found that frequent breaks had no significant effect on student productivity.
Other accommodations actually lowered it: The number of questions completed per minute dropped by 11% among students getting extended time, 4% among those in low-distraction workspaces and 3% among those in adapted seating.
“These approaches fail to build skills or address motivation,” Gregory Fabiano, a Florida International psychology professor and the study’s lead author, said in a statement.
By contrast, behavioral intervention cut rule violations by 37%, medication by 61%, and medication raised the rate of correctly completed seatwork by 22%.
Medications raised quiz scores by an average of 3.9 points.
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