About

Dr. Alison Poulton

Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics, Sydney Medical School Nepean, The University of Sydney

I am a paediatrician specialising in treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I studied medicine at Girton College Cambridge and Guy’s Hospital London, qualifying in 1982. I trained in paediatrics in Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham UK before migrating to Australia. I completed my advanced training in Melbourne and Sydney and gained the FRACP in 1993.

I work at Nepean Hospital, at Penrith Child and Youth Mental Health Service and in private practice in Penrith and have raised a family of four children. I was awarded my MD from the University of Cambridge in 2011. This was based on research into the collateral effects of stimulant medication on children’s height, weight, physical maturity and body composition.

Research interests

Three connected areas of research

Clinical practice and research have run side by side since 1996. The questions come from clinic, and what the studies find goes back to families through the explanation sheets.

Dr. Alison Poulton talking through an ADHD explanation sheet with a patient in her consulting room

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

I have been studying the effects of stimulant medication in children with ADHD since 1996. The initial period of weight loss associated with the appetite suppression that occurs on a stimulant leads to transient slowing of growth and in the longer term, to slower progress through puberty.

Around 40% of children with ADHD also meet diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), which is far higher than would be anticipated by a chance association. I have developed a clinical model, the Mental Effort-Reward Imbalances Model, to explain this.

Obesity

There is substantial overlap between ADHD and obesity; symptoms of ADHD, such as inconsistent motivation and impulsiveness, with lack of meaningful consideration of the consequences of an action, are also common in obesity. The efficacy of the stimulants for treating obesity has long been recognised, but they are not generally considered appropriate due to their abuse potential.

Population based research and data linkage

I am interested in the long-term effects of ADHD and stimulant medication at a population level and have been carrying out a data linkage study of the reproductive outcomes of women with previous stimulant treatment for ADHD. I am planning a study of the cardiovascular effects of long-term treatment.

Free resources