Young adult outcomes in the follow-up of the multimodal treatment study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:…
How will we track my child's height and growth curve on methylphenidate, and at what point would a dose change or medication break be worth discussing?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Medication use after the 14-month randomized phase was self-selected, so height and symptom comparisons are observational; several senior authors disclose past consulting for stimulant manufacturers.
In the MTA study's follow-up to about age 25 (515 people with childhood ADHD vs 258 classmates without), participants who used stimulants consistently through adolescence were on average about 2.4 cm shorter as adults than inconsistent users, without a corresponding advantage in adult ADHD symptom outcomes.
Worth asking
How will we track my child's height and growth curve on methylphenidate, and at what point would a dose change or medication break be worth discussing?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Narcolepsy
Source
Young adult outcomes in the follow-up of the multimodal treatment study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: symptom persistence, source discrepancy, and height suppression — Swanson JM, et al. (2017)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12684
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12684
How this was scored
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 804
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 72 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Medication use after the 14-month randomized phase was self-selected, so height and symptom comparisons are observational; several senior authors disclose past consulting for stimulant manufacturers. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Young adult outcomes in the follow-up of the multimodal treatment study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: symptom persistence, source discrepancy, and height suppression — Swanson JM, et al. (2017). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12684. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Cohort study. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Daytrana, Quillivant, Jornay), ritalin, concerta, metadate, daytrana, quillivant, jornay FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Narcolepsy. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.