Definitions of ADHD focus on the frequency and severity of problem behaviors and how a person exhibiting these behaviors compares to his or her same-age peers. The table below answers some frequently asked questions on identifying and assessing individuals with ADHD and describes possible outcomes of the condition.
| Who are they? | Children with ADHD manifest "a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development" (APA, 2000, p. 85). |
| What are typical characteristics? | • Impulsivity |
| • Hyperactivity | |
| • Inattention | |
| • Coexisting conduct problems | |
| • Coexisting academic problems | |
| What are the demographics? | • 3 to 7% of school-age children (between 1.9 and 4.5 million students) are identified with ADHD. |
| • Approximately 2 to 4% receive stimulant medication. | |
| • Fewer than 1% are identified under IDEA as other health impaired. | |
| • Approximately 75% are male. | |
| Where are students educated? | • 53% of students identified with ADHD under IDEA spend most of the day in general education classrooms. |
| • Placement settings are similar to those for students with learning disabilities. | |
| How are students identified and assessed for intervention? | • Criteria from DSM-IV-TR are used for identification. |
| • Multiple methods are used to document ADHD, including interviews with parents and teachers, rating scales, and observations in multiple settings. | |
| • Functional behavioral assessments provide the most useful information for instructional and behavioral planning. | |
| What are the outcomes? | • Approximately 30% have no symptoms of ADHD as adults. |
| • Approximately 25% have conduct disorders that continue as adults. | |
| • Approximately 25% develop major depression as adults. |
Excerpt from Special Education for Today's Teachers: An Introduction, by M.S. Rosenberg, D.L. Westling, J. McLeskey, 2008 edition, p. 236.
© ______ 2008, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.
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