Today’s Guardian reports the findings of a survey on the prescription of drugs to treat hyperactivity in preschool children.

The survey of educational psychologists’ experience was conducted by Vivian Hill, director of professional educational psychology training at the Institute of Education and Horatio Turner from University College London.

The researchers found that more than a fifth of educational psychologists say they know of preschool children who are being given medication such as Ritalin even though the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends psychological interventions should be tried first.

Vivian Hill told the Guardian: “It is very alarming to discover that terribly young children who often have not had access to alternative treatments are being put on medication.”

The full results of the research will be presented at our Division of Educational and Child Psychology’s Annual Conference in Durham early in January 2015.