Primary School Children’s Self-Reports of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Related Symptoms and Their Associations With Subjective and Objective Measures of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

BackgroundThe diagnosis of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is primarily dependent on parents’ and teachers’ reports, while children’s own perspectives on their difficulties and strengths are often overlooked.GoalTo further increase our insight into children’s ability to reliably report about their ADHD-related symptoms, the current study examined the associations between children’s self-reports, parents’ and teachers’ reports, and standardized continuous performance test (CPT) data. We also examined whether the addition of children’s perceptions of ADHD-symptoms to parents’ and teachers’ reports would be reflected by objective and standardized data.MethodsThe study included 190 children with ADHD, aged 7–10 years, who were referred to a pediatric neurologic clinic. A retrospective analysis was conducted using records of a clinical database. Obtained data included children’s self-reports of their attention level and ADHD-related symptoms, parent, and teacher forms of the Conners ADHD rating scales, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher’s Report Form (TRF), and CPT scores.ResultsChildren’s self-evaluations of their functioning were globally associated with their teachers’ and parents’ evaluations, but not uniquely. Children’s self-reports of ADHD symptoms were not uniquely linked to a specific CPT impairment index, but to a general likelihood of having an impaired CPT. The CPT performance successfully distinguished between the group of children who defined themselves as inattentive and those who did not.ConclusionPrimary school children with ADHD are able to identify their limitations and needs difficulties and that their perspectives should inform clinical practice and research. The clinical and ethical imperative of taking children’s perspectives into account during ADHD diagnosis and treatment is highlighted.

The Structure and Diagnostic Accuracy of the QbTest in Pediatric ADHD: A Retrospective Clinical Study

“…It is also indicative that for children and adolescents with ADHD, values for QbTest variables could provide additional clinical information to be used for the treatment tailoring or following up the course once ADHD is diagnosed, which has been prospectively documented (e.g., Cedergren et al, 2022; (Knez et al, 2021; Stevanovic et al, 2022). Especially, the QbTest in clinical use may provide more theoretical, construct-based measures of inattention than parental ratings, in which hyperactivity and inattention seem to mingle substantially (Hamadache et al, 2021), or children’s self-reports, in which inattention and CPT show minimal association (Slobodin & Davidovitch, 2022). Thus, the added value of the QbTest, beyond a classical CPT, lies in the activity component and data for hyperactivity (Wang et al, 2022).…”

Exploring the biases of the perception of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity of students from parents, teachers, self‐reports, and a VR measure

“…Other works (Achenbach, 2006; De Los Reyes & Kazdin, 2005) have demonstrated that self‐reports offer valuable information across a broader spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Moreover, a recent study by Slobodin and Davidovitch (2022) found that self‐rating scores provide informative data in relation to both teacher and parent reports, as well as objective measures of attention. Hence, there arises a need to explore implicit biases not only in the rating scores provided by parents and teachers but also in self‐reports.…”

A Novel Intervention to Simultaneously Address the Dual Pathologies of Breathing Disorders During Sleep and Undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in School-Aged Children Ages 5–12

“…A 504 and IEP are formal plans schools develop to remove learning barriers for children with learning disabilities or deficiencies so they can access the curriculum. Unfortunately, children’s behavioral patterns are often misdiagnosed as hyperactive and inattentive then subsequently medicated when they are simply sleep deprived or exhibiting a form a normal developmental pattern (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.b; Slobodin & Davidovitch, 2022).…”

“…The prevalence of breathing disorders at sleep impacts 15% of children due to variations in the upper airway, while 90% will go undiagnosed as adults (Gokdemir et al, 2021). The relationship between SDB and ADHD has been proposed yet remains controversial in a scenario of which came first (Gokdemir et al, 2021; Slobodin & Davidovitch, 2022; Tsukada et al, 2018; Urbano et al, 2021; Wu et al, 2017). While adults may feel fatigued from sleep deprivation, it’s not uncommon for sleep-deprived children to become hyperactive; another reason is that a child may be misdiagnosed with ADHD instead of sleep apnea (Javaheri & Javaheri, 2020; Knight & Dimitriou, 2019; Tan et al, 2013).…”