The prevalence, attainment and progress of severely inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive young children

Abstract

Some children exhibit inattentive, and perhaps also hyperactive and Impulsive behaviour In the classroom at a very frequent and severe level. These behavioural characteristics are reflected in the criteria for the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD have been found to achieve lower grades at school than their peers. This study investigated the extent to which pupils with severe ADHD symptoms, but not necessarily diagnosed with the condition, were at risk of similar academic outcomes. The effect of different teaching and classroom management strategies on the concentration and attention of these children were also explored. The reading and mathematics achievements of a large sample of pupils were assessed at the start of reception, the end of reception and then again at the end of key stage 1. Class teachers assessed the behaviour of these pupils at the end of reception using a rating scale based upon the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in Version 4 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).The proportion of children with severe ADHD symptoms was found to be similar to previous estimates of the prevalence of children with each sub-type of ADHD derived from teacher assessments, but higher than the rates of prevalence of ADHD published by the American Psychiatric Association (1994).The reading and mathematics attainment and value-added of children with severe ADHD symptoms were found to be educationally and statistically significantly lower than their peers. The data replicated previous studies that had investigated the achievement of children with ADHD.