Which ADHD drug works best for preschoolers? new study aims to find out.

NCT ID NCT07300956

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study compares two medications, methylphenidate and guanfacine, to see which works better for treating ADHD in children ages 3 to 5. About 370 children with moderate to severe ADHD will take one of the drugs, and doctors will rate how much their symptoms improve. The goal is to find the most effective and tolerable treatment for this young age group.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 4

Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.

Participants

About 370 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2026

Expected to finish

Jul 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

3 to 5 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Males or females 3 to 5 years of age, inclusive (e.g. children age 5 years, 11 months are eligible). 2. Child has a confirmed diagnosis of moderate or severe Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (diagnostic code: F90.9) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria, review of supportive evidence (caregiver interview, behavioral observations, Vanderbilt Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale results, any school or daycare information provided by caregiver). 3. Clinician-rated Clinical Global Impairment-Severity (see description below) rating of ≥4 (denoting moderate or greater impairment due to their Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms). 4. The child's clinician and caretakers have decided on or are considering initiating drug therapy (with either Methylphenidate or Guanfacine). 5. Primary language is English or Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of taking Methylphenidate or Guanfacine. Prior use of other Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder medications or other psychotropic medications is allowed. 2. Current use of other Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder medications (e.g., amphetamines), other psychotropic medications (e.g., atypical antipsychotics or serotonin reuptake inhibitors), or centrally active depressants (such as phenothiazines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines) 3. Electronic Health Record documentation of moderate to severe global developmental delay (F88) or intellectual disability (F70), or a score of \<55 on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-3. 4. Medical contraindications to taking Methylphenidate or Guanfacine, including cardiac risk factors (e.g. known structural cardiac abnormalities, cardiomyopathy, serious cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, or other serious cardiac disease), increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma, verbal tics, Tourette's Syndrome, psychosis

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    5 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Boston Children's Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    RECRUITING

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

  • Children's Mercy Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Kansas City, Missouri, 64108, United States

  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229, United States

  • Stanford Medicine Children's Health

    RECRUITING

    Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

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