In a United States legal action in 2000 about educational neglect, Albany County judge G E Maney ordered the parents to resume administering methylphenidate to 7-year-old Kyle Carroll.1 At the time, this controversial ruling was understandable, because controlled trials of stimulant treatment (dexamphetamine and methylphenidate) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had consistently shown that stimulants reduce ADHD symptoms. The catch is that trials have examined short-term effectiveness (usually over less than 6 months), while ADHD is a chronic condition.