School support for ADHD children may be missing the mark

August 29, 2011 in Attention deficit disorders

New research from the University of Montreal shows that inattention, rather than hyperactivity, is the most important indicator when it comes to finishing a high school education. "Children with attention problems need preventative intervention early in their development," explained lead author Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pingault, who is also affiliated with Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital. The researchers came to their conclusion after looking at data collected from the parents and teachers of 2000 children over a period of almost twenty years.

In this study, attention problems were evaluated by teachers who looked for behaviour such as an inability to concentrate, absentmindedness, or a tendency to give up or be easily distracted. Hyperactivity was identified by behaviour such as restlessness, running around, squirming and being fidgety. The researchers found that only 29% of children with finished high school compared to 89% of children who did not manifest these inattention problems. When it came to hyperactivity, the difference was smaller: 40% versus 77%. After correcting the data for other influencing factors, such as socioeconomic status and health issues that are correlated with ADHD, inattention still made a highly significant contribution which was not the case for hyperactivity.

"In the school system, children who have attention difficulties are often forgotten because, unlike hyperactive kids, they don't disturb the class," said Dr. Sylvana Côte, who led the study. "However, we know that we can train children to pay attention through appropriate activities, and that can help encourage success at school."

The results of the study have been published as mental health experts have begun to debate whether or not it would be appropriate to separate hyperactivity and inattention problems in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). "These two health issues have now been more precisely dissected, and we may now need to define a differentiated type of that is independent from , to improve our understanding of the phenomenon and better tailor interventions," Pingault said.

More information: The study will be published in the American Journal of Psychiatry on November 1, 2011.

Provided by University of Montreal search and more info website

5 /5 (3 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

tadchem
Aug 29, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
Whatever happened to teachers who know how to make their subject matter *interesting*?
tjcoop3
Aug 29, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
Whatever happened to teachers who know how to make their subject matter *interesting*?

I am afraid they have been traded for teachers that can train them how to pass the "No Child Left Behind" Tests. The system no longer works.
Rank 5 /5 (3 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • What capacitors to use in a Tesla coil...?
    created11 hours ago
  • Work done by us on the spring
    created13 hours ago
  • Surface current density
    created14 hours ago
  • Work done on body moving in a circle
    created18 hours ago
  • Crest or Trough?
    created18 hours ago
  • Origin of magnetism
    created22 hours ago
  • More from Physics Forums - Classical Physics

More news stories

Examining adaptive abilities in children with prenatal alcohol exposure and/or ADHD

Prenatal exposure to alcohol often results in disruption to the brain's cognitive and behavioral domains, which include executive function (EF) and adaptive functioning. A study of these domains in children with heavy prenatal ...

Attention deficit disorders created May 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Dietary changes help some children with ADHD

Together with child and adolescent psychiatrists, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have just completed an extensive report which reviews the studies which have been done so far on the significance of diet for ...

Attention deficit disorders created Apr 24, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0

What do ADHD and cancer have in common? Variety

According to new research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is more than one disorder. It's an entire family of disorders, much like the multiple subtypes of ...

Attention deficit disorders created Apr 02, 2012 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study pinpoints effects of different doses of an ADHD drug, finds higher doses may harm learning

New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit disorders created Mar 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Younger children in the classroom likely overdiagnosed with ADHD

The youngest children in the classroom are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- and prescribed medication -- than their peers in the same grade, according to a ...

Attention deficit disorders created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1


Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse

(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...

Tongue analysis software uses ancient Chinese medicine to warn of disease

For 5,000 years, the Chinese have used a system of medicine based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body. In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify ...

Cancer may require simpler genetic mutations than previously thought

Chromosomal deletions in DNA often involve just one of two gene copies inherited from either parent. But scientists haven't known how a deletion in one gene from one parent, called a "hemizygous" deletion, can contribute ...

Inherited DNA change explains overactive leukemia gene

A small inherited change in DNA is largely responsible for overactivating a gene linked to poor treatment response in people with acute leukemia.

Skp2 activates cancer-promoting, glucose-processing Akt

HER2 and its epidermal growth factor receptor cousins mobilize a specialized protein to activate a major player in cancer development and sugar metabolism, scientists report in the May 25 issue of Cell.

Early physical therapist treatment associated with reduced risk of healthcare utilization and reduced overall healthcare

A new study published in Spine shows that early treatment by a physical therapist for low back pain (LBP), as compared to delayed treatment, was associated with reduced risk of subsequent healthcare utilization and lower ...