No abstract

This study was the first to investigate patterns of homework problems, as assessed by parent reports on the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC), among children in general education and those referred to an evaluation and treatment program for attention-deficitihyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In Study I, parents of general education students in grades 3 through 6 (n = 675) completed the HPC. An exploratory factor analysis revealed two salient factors: Inattention/Avoidance of Homework (Factor I), and Poor Productivity/ Nonadherence with Homework Rules (Factor II). Study 2, an exploratory factor analysis of a clinic-referred sample (grades I through 8; n = 356), uncovered a factor structure that was highly similar to that of the general sample. For purposes of validation, the HPC factors were correlated with subscales from the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Parent and Teacher Ratings Scales. These correlations demonstrated that Factor I was primarily related to aspects of homework functioning that are readily observable by parents (e.g., inattention, avoidance of work, and anxiety during homework); Factor II was primarily related to aspects of homework functioning that are observable by both parents and teachers (failure to accurately record homework assignments, and failure to complete and submit homework). The two-factor model is a useful way to conceptualize homework problems and has important implications for future practice and research aimed at improving assessment and intervention for children with significant homework difficulties. Achieving academic competence is critical for the healthy development of children. Competent academic performance is important both as an end in itself, and The authors thank Jessica Palumbo for her assistance with data analysis.

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) was originally identified as a construct that characterized the inattention problems of some children with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Research has indicated that using SCT symptoms to identify a subset of youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominately inattentive type (ADHD-IT) may elucidate distinct patterns of impairment and thereby improve the external validity of ADHD subtypes. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether youth with clinically-assessed ADHD-IT and high levels of SCT exhibit unique social and academic impairments. In a clinic-referred sample of youth (N = 209; 23 % female) aged 6 to 17 years, participants who met criteria for three different groups were identified: ADHD, Combined Type (ADHD-CT; n = 80), ADHD-IT with low SCT symptoms (n = 74), and ADHD-IT with high SCT symptoms (n = 55). These groups were compared on indicators of social and academic functioning while considering the effects of co-occurring internalizing and disruptive behavior disorders. Youth with ADHD-IT high in SCT exhibited uniquely elevated withdrawal, as well as low leadership and low peer-directed relational and overt aggression, which were not accounted for by co-occurring disorders. This high-SCT group was also the only group to have more homework problems than the ADHD-CT group, but only when other disruptive behavior disorders were absent. The distinctiveness of the high-SCT group, which was primarily evident in social as opposed to academic functioning, provides partial support for the external validity and clinical utility of SCT.

Despite a significant increase in the number of children and adolescents who receive clinical services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there is still a considerable level of unmet need. Children of ethnic minority status continue to lag well behind their non-minority counterparts in the rate of diagnosis and treatment for the disorder. Racial/ethnic disparities in service use are the result of a combination of access barriers and individual, cultural, and societal factors. The ADHD Help-Seeking Behavior Model is proposed as a framework for understanding factors that may be predictive of service use. Variables specific to ADHD and ethnic-minority populations are integrated within the framework of a four-stage pathway model encompassing problem recognition, decision to seek help, service selection, and service use. The authors argue that by systematically addressing factors related to service use for each ethnic minority group, more effective intervention initiatives can be developed to improve identification and treatment for ADHD among underserved children.