Ritalin Use In the Maryland Public Schools

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A new study of medication use by students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the Maryland public schools found that white students were given Ritalin and other ADHD drugs at a far higher rate than their minority peers. The disparity in medication use increased as the students grew older, the study found.
	Ritalin Users by Race and Ethnicity				Race/Ethnicity Proportions in School Enrollment
	Elementary	Middle	High	Total	Race/Ethnicity Proportions in School Enrollment
White	73.11%	79.83%	86.89%	76.23%	55.91%

Black	24.2	16.98	10.47	20.95	36.08

Hispanic	1.68	2.06	1.70	1.79	3.72

Asian	.82	.96	.77	.85	3.97

Native American	.18	.17	.15	.17	.32
SOURCE: “Stimulant Treatment in Maryland Public Schools,” Pediatrics, September 2000. (Read the abstract.)