A study done by Regina Bussing, M.D. and colleagues aimed to address gaps in current knowledge regarding adolescent outcomes of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They monitored a random sampling of 1,615 public school children (aged 5 to 11) from a North Florida school district where 29. 5% were determined high risk for ADHD. Between 1998 and 2008, these children participated in several batches or waves of data collection. The kids were assigned to three categories based on the data: high risk adolescents meeting full or subthreshold criteria for ADHD, and a low-risk comparison group.
The research found that on all parent-reported outcomes, kids who had childhood ADHD had a higher prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder and anxiety/depression than peers with only subthreshold childhood symptoms or no ADHD in childhood. (The specific subset of ADHD is not specified, but probably is relevant).
On adolescent reported outcomes, youth with childhood ADHD reported significantly greater emotional symptoms, clinical maladjustment and school maladjustment compared to those with subthreshold ADHD or no ADHD in childhood.
Both parents and adolescents reported greater functional impairment and lower quality of life for youth with childhood ADHD. Adolescent ODD symptoms more than tripled the odds of cannabis and alcohol use.
In regards to educational outcomes, youth with childhood ADHD differed from their comparison group peers on all measures which included significantly lower 8th grade standardized test scores, lower GPA, lower retention, and greater rate of special education services and learning disabilities. They were also reported to be more likely to experience graduation failure than unaffected peers. This goes the same for kids with subthreshold ADHD – who surprisingly had the lowest rates of graduation in the sample. Authors believe that this may be due to the lack of special education supports for those that do not have a full ADHD diagnosis.
This is discouraging data, but we also know that intervention and academic supports specifically targeted for ADHD (504 Plan or IEP) can make a significant difference in the outcome, and it’s a good reason to make sure that kids are getting the help they need at home and in school.
