Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T10:40:49.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5a - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents

from Section II - Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2010

By
David Marks ,
Joey Trampush  and
Anil Chacko
Edited by
Jacobus Donders  and
Scott J. Hunter
Jacobus Donders
Affiliation:
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
Scott J. Hunter
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
Get access

Summary

ADHD Phenomenology

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex psychiatric syndrome characterized by developmentally excessive manifestations of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity which have their onset prior to age 7 and are associated with impairments in at least two domains of psychosocial functioning (e.g. scholastic achievement, family interactions, peer relations) [1]. Widely considered to be the most common psychiatric disorder of childhood, ADHD affects approximately 5% of school-aged children worldwide [2], with diagnostic rates in males exceeding those of females by 4:1 in non-referred investigations and 9:1 in clinically referred samples [3].

Comorbidity profiles in children with ADHD

Upwards of two-thirds of children and adolescents with the disorder meet criteria for one or more comorbid psychiatric conditions. In particular, approximately 50–60% meet criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), 30–50% meet criteria for conduct disorder (CD), 25% meet criteria for one or more anxiety disorders, and 15–25% have a comorbid mood disorder [4]. Relative to same-aged peers, children with ADHD are also at heightened risk for tic disorders, learning disabilities, and substance use disorders [4]. The high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity among youth with ADHD may reflect common etiological mechanisms and/or temperamental features (e.g. impulsivity), as well as associated psychosocial consequences of the disorder (e.g. demoralization stemming from impaired social functioning). ADHD is also considered a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes during adolescence and adulthood [5]; however, the relative contributions of ADHD vs. psychiatric comorbidity to subsequent outcomes have been difficult to isolate.

Type
Chapter
Information
Principles and Practice of Lifespan Developmental Neuropsychology , pp. 83 - 96
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

,American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn, text revision. Washington DC: 2000.Google Scholar
Faraone, SV, Sergeant, J, Gillberg, C, et al. The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: is it an American Condition? World Psychiatry 2003;2(2):104–13.Google ScholarPubMed
Barkley, RA. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment, 3rd edn. New York: Guilford Press; 2005.Google Scholar
Biederman, J, Newcorn, J, Sprich, S. Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1991;148(5):564–577.Google ScholarPubMed
Mannuzza, S, Klein, RG, Bessler, AG, et al. Adult status of hyperactive boys grown up. Am J Psychiatry 1998;155(4):493–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Douglas, VI. Stop, look and listen: the problem of sustained attention and poor impulse control in hyperactive and normal children. Canad J Behav Sci 1972;4:259–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rommelse, NN, Altink, ME, Sonneville, LM, et al. Are motor inhibition and cognitive flexibility dead ends in ADHD? J Abnorm Child Psychol 2007;35(6):957–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ross, DM, Ross, SA. Hyperactivity: Current Issues, Research, and Theory. New York: John Wiley and Sons; 1982.Google Scholar
Sonuga-Barke, EJ, Dalen, L, Daley, D, et al. Are planning, working memory, and inhibition associated with individual differences in preschool ADHD symptoms? Dev Neuropsychol 2002;21(3):255–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sonuga-Barke, EJ, Dalen, L, Remington, B. Do executive deficits and delay aversion make independent contributions to preschool attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2003;42(11):1335–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mariani, MA, Barkley, RA. Neuropsychological and academic functioning in pre-school boys with attention deficit hyperactivity. Dev Neuropsychol 1997;13:111–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DuPaul, GJ, McGoey, KE, Eckert, TL, et al. Preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: impairments in behavioral, social, and school functioning. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001;40(5):508–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marks, DJ, Berwid, OG, Santra, A, et al. Neuropsychological correlates of ADHD symptoms in preschoolers. Neuropsychology 2005;19(4):446–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berwid, OG, Curko Kera, EA, Marks, DJ, et al. Sustained attention and response inhibition in young children at risk for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2005;46(11):1219–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Willcutt, EG, Doyle, AE, Nigg, JT, et al. Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Biol Psychiatry 2005;57(11):1336–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frazier, TW, Demaree, HA, Youngstrom, EA. Meta-analysis of intellectual and neuropsychological test performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychology 2004;18(3):543–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martinussen, R, Hayden, J, Hogg-Johnson, S, et al. A meta-analysis of working memory impairments in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005;44(4):377–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mourik, R, Oosterlaan, J, Sergeant, JA. The Stroop revisited: a meta-analysis of interference control in AD/HD. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2005;46(2):150–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lansbergen, MM, Kenemans, JL, Engeland, H. Stroop interference and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychology 2007;21(2):251–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, K, Verhaeghen, P. ADHD and Stroop interference from age 9 to age 41 years: a meta-analysis of developmental effects. Psychol Med 2008;38:1607–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lijffijt, M, Kenemans, JL, Verbaten, MN, et al. A meta-analytic review of stopping performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: deficient inhibitory motor control? J Abnorm Psychol 2005;114(2):216–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alderson, RM, Rapport, MD, Kofler, MJ. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral inhibition: a meta-analytic review of the stop-signal paradigm. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2007;35(5):745–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klein, C, Wendling, K, Huettner, P, et al. Intra-subject variability in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2006;60(10):1088–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martel, M, Nikolas, M, Nigg, JT. Executive function in adolescents with ADHD. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007;46(11):1437–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loo, SK, Humphrey, , Tapio, T, et al. Executive functioning among Finnish adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007;46(12):1594–604.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Werry, JS, Elkind, GS, Reeves, JC. Attention deficit, conduct, oppositional, and anxiety disorders in children: III. Laboratory differences. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2002;15(3):409–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nigg, JT. Is ADHD a disinhibitory disorder? Psychol Bull 2001;127:571–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halperin, JM, Schulz, KP. Revisiting the role of the prefrontal cortex in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychol Bull 2006;132(4):560–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kalff, AC, Hendriksen, JGM, Kroes, M, et al. Neurocognitive performance of 5- and 6-year-old children who met criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder at 18 months follow-up: results from a prospective population study. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2002;30(6):589–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halperin, JM, Trampush, JW, Miller, CJ, et al. Neuropsychological outcomes of ADHD in adolescence/young adulthood: profiles of persisters, remitters and controls. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008;49:958–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nigg, JT, Willcutt, EG, Doyle, AE, et al. Causal heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: do we need neuropsychologically impaired subtypes? Biol Psychiatry 2005;57(11):1224–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faraone, SV, Perlis, RH, Doyle, AE, et al., Molecular genetics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2005;57(11):1313–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brookes, K, Xu, X, Chen, W, et al. The analysis of 51 genes in DSM-IV combined type attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: association signals in DRD4, DAT1 and 16 other genes. Mol Psychiatry 2006;11(10):934–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanson, J, Oosterlaan, J, Murias, M, et al. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder children with a 7-repeat allele of the dopamine receptor D4 gene have extreme behavior but normal performance on critical neuropsychological tests of attention. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000;97(9):4754–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valera, EM, Faraone, SV, Murray, KE, et al. Meta-analysis of structural imaging findings in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2007;61(12):1361–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sowell, ER, Thompson, PM, Welcome, SE, et al. Cortical abnormalities in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lancet 2003;362(9397):1699–707.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plessen, KJ, Bansal, R, Zhu, H, et al. Hippocampus and amygdala morphology in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006;63(7):795–807.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Castellanos, FX, Lee, PP, Sharp, W, et al. Developmental trajectories of brain volume abnormalities in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. JAMA 2002;288(14):1740–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Overmeyer, S, Simmons, A, Santosh, J, et al. Corpus callosum may be similar in children with ADHD and siblings of children with ADHD. Dev Med Child Neurol 2000;42(1):8–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berquin, PC, Giedd, JN, Jacobsen, LK, et al. Cerebellum in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a morphometric MRI study. Neurology 1998;50(4):1087–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, KP, Fan, J, Tang, CY, et al. Response inhibition in adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during childhood: an event-related FMRI study. Am Journal Psychiatry 2004;161(9):1650–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubia, K, Smith, AB, Brammer, MJ, et al. Abnormal brain activation during inhibition and error detection in medication-naive adolescents with ADHD. Am Journal Psychiatry 2005;162(6):1067–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Durston, S, Mulder, M, Casey, BJ, et al. Activation in ventral prefrontal cortex is sensitive to genetic vulnerability for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2006;60(10):1062–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickstein, SG, Bannon, K, Castellanos, FX, et al. The neural correlates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an ALE meta-analysis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2006;47(10):1051–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mackie, S, Shaw, P, Lenroot, R, et al. Cerebellar development and clinical outcome in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2007;164(4):647–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, P, Lerch, J, Greenstein, D, et al. Longitudinal mapping of cortical thickness and clinical outcome in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006;63(5):540–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, P, Eckstrand, K, Sharp, W, et al. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2007;104(49):19649–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chronis, AM, Chacko, A, Fabiano, GA, et al. Enhancements to the behavioral parent training paradigm for families of children with ADHD: review and future directions. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2004;7(1):1–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anastopoulos, AD, Shelton, TL, DuPaul, GJ, et al. Parent training for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: its impact on parent functioning. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1993;21(5):581–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horn, WF, Ialongo, N, Popovich, S, et al. Behavioral parent training and cognitive-behavioral self-control therapy with ADD-H children: comparative and combined effects. J Clin Child Psychol 1987;15(1):57–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelham, WE Jr, Fabiano, GA. Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2008;37(1):184–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DuPaul, GJ, Eckert, T. The effects of school-based interventions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analysis. School Psychol Rev 1997;26:5–27.Google Scholar
Pelham, WE Jr, Fabiano, GA, Gnagy, E. et al. The role of Summer Treatment Program in the context of comprehensive treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In Hibbs, E., Jensen, P, eds Psychosocial Treatments for Child and Adolescent Disorders: Empirically Based Strategies for Clinical Practice, 2nd edn. APA; 2007: 455–89.
Pelham, WE Jr, Gnagy, EM, Greiner, AR, et al. Behavioral vs. behavioral and pharmacological treatment in ADHD children attending a summer treatment program. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2000;28(6):507–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chronis, AM, Fabiano, GA, Gnagy, EM, et al. An evaluation of the Summer Treatment Program for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using a treatment withdrawal design. Behav Ther 2004;35:561–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coles, EK, Pelham, WE Jr, Gnagy, EM, et al. A controlled evaluation of behavioral treatment with children with ADHD attending a summer treatment program. J Emot Behav Disord 2005;13:99–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
,American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007;46(7): 894–921.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swanson, JS, McBurnett, K, Wigal, T. Stimulant medications and the treatment of children with ADHD. Adv Clin Child Psychol 1995;17:265–322.Google Scholar
Pelham, WE, Bender, ME, Caddell, J, et al. Methylphenidate and children with attention deficit disorder. Dose effects on classroom academic and social behavior. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1985;42(10):948–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chacko, A, Pelham, WE Jr, Gnagy, EM, et al. Stimulant medication effects in a summer treatment program among young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005;44(3):249–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Power, TJ, Hess, , Bennett, DS. The acceptability of interventions for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder among elementary and middle school teachers. J Dev Behav Pediatr 1995;16(4):238–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biederman, J, Spencer, T. Psychopharmacological Interventions. Child Adolesc Psychiatric Clin N Am 2008;17:439–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, , Abikoff, HB, Cantwell, DP, et al. National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (the MTA). Design challenges and choices. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1997;54(9):865–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
,MTA Cooperative Group. A 14-month randomized clinical trial of treatment strategies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999;56(12):1073–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinshaw, SP, Owens, EB, Wells, KC, et al. Family processes and treatment outcome in the MTA: negative/ineffective parenting practices in relation to multimodal treatment. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2000;28(6):555–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conners, CK, Epstein, JN, March, JS, et al. Multimodal treatment of ADHD in the MTA: an alternative outcome analysis. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001;40(2):159–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanson, JS, Kraemer, HC, Hinshaw, SP, et al. Clinical relevance of the primary findings of the MTA: success rates based on severity of ADHD and ODD symptoms at the end of treatment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001;40(2):168–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoza, B, Gerdes, AC, Mrug, S, et al. Peer-assessed outcomes in the multimodal treatment study of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2005;34(1):74–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kollins, S, Greenhill, L, Swanson, J, et al. Rationale, design, and methods of the Preschool ADHD Treatment Study (PATS). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2006;45(11):1275–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenhill, L, Kollins, S, Abikoff, H, et al. Efficacy and safety of immediate-release methylphenidate treatment for preschoolers with ADHD. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2006;45(11):1284–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molina, BS, Flory, K, Hinshaw, SP, et al. Delinquent behavior and emerging substance use in the MTA at 36 months: prevalence, course, and treatment effects. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007;46(8):1028–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerns, KA, Eso, K, Thomson, J. Investigation of a direct intervention for improving attention in young children with ADHD. Dev Neuropsychol 1999;16(2):273–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shalev, L, Tsal, Y, Mevorach, C. Computerized progressive attentional training (CPAT) program: effective direct intervention for children with ADHD. Child Neuropsychol 2007;13(4):382–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klingberg, T, Forssberg, H, Westerberg, H. Training of working memory in children with ADHD. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2002;24(6):781–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klingberg, T, Fernell, E, Olesen, PJ, et al. Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD – a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005;44(2):177–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diamond, A, Barnett, WS, Thomas, J, et al. Preschool program improves cognitive control. Science 2007;318(5855):1387–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luria, AR. The Higher Cortical Functions in Man. New York: Basic Books; 1966.Google Scholar
Vygotsky, LS. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1978.Google Scholar
Tremblay, RE. Prevention of youth violence: why not start at the beginning?J Abnorm Child Psychol 2006;34(4):481–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barkley, RA. Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychol Bull 1997;121(1):65–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×