A new study released Friday suggests some children between the ages of three and five who’ve been diagnosed with ADHD are prescribed drugs before behavioral treatment has a chance to address their symptoms.

Researchers found that four in ten of the 1.4% of pre-school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD, almost 80% of them boys, were prescribed a medication within 30 days of being diagnosed.

Lead author Dr. Yair Bannett says, “in this young age group, it seems that there is more effectiveness in trying these behavioral approaches than starting with medications.”

The researchers examined the electronic medical records of more than 712,000 children who were patients in eight pediatric health systems in the US.

The study was published in JAMA network open.