ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

Attention Deficit Disorder and Impulsive Behaviour

Attention Deficit Disorder and Impulsive Behaviour

Introduction

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are biological conditions that often affect attention spans and cause impulsive behaviors. These conditions often appear in childhood and can continue into adolescence and adulthood. Predictors of persistence of ADHD include family history of the disorder, psychiatric co morbidity, and psychosocial adversity. Family studies of ADHD have consistently supported its strong familial nature (Biederman, 2005). Without proper diagnosis and treatment is it possible that this disorder can lead to social problems and psychiatric problems in adulthood?

This research explores the chances of children showing symptoms of attention deficit disorder, repeating one or more grades, showing adjustment problems in social aspects of their lives, and dropping out of high school. Though there is a certain amount of subjectivity involved by the elementary teachers (Corners, 1969), this subjectivity is nullified as different teachers rate the same people in multiple grades. There have been significant studies done on school age children in regards to ADD and ADHD, however the information on these conditions seems to be lacking when it comes to adults.

A recent national survey found that 4.2 percent of US workers had adult attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) resulting in $19.5 billion in lost human capital per annum (Kessler et al., 2005). Lifespan research suggests that the majority of children with ADHD continue to experience symptoms as adults (Barkley et al., 2002; Biederman et al., 2000; Mannuzza et al., 1993, 1998; Weiss and Hechtman, 1993; Wilens et al., 2002). Prevalence estimates of ADHD among adults in the United States vary according to the measurement criteria used, with estimates ranging from less than 10 percent to as high as 70 percent (Barkley et al., 2002; Mannuzza et al., 1993, 1998; Weiss et al., 1985). A recent population screen of 966 adults in the United States suggests prevalence rates of 2.9 percent for narrowly defined ADHD and 16.4 percent using a more broad definition (Faraone and Biederman, 2005). Kessler et al. (2005) concludes that adult attention deficit disorders are a common and costly problem within the US workforce.



Research Methodology

Participants

Participants were 216 students (54% boys, 46% girls) from one of 18 schools in northwestern Vermont. The schools were chosen in such a way to produce a reasonable cross section of rural schools within 40 miles of Burlington, Vermont. Age at first assessment, family background, racial/ethnic identity and other background variables were not assessed.

Procedure

All participants were part of a larger study conducted by Howell, Huessy, and Hassuk (1985). The original study began with 501 children in the second grade and consisted of six stages of data collection: 2nd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 9th grade, 12th grade, and three years post graduation. The first three assessments were collected via the child's current teacher, the second two assessments were collected via school records and the final assessment was an extensive interview. Due to normal attrition, the sample size was reduced to 352 children ...