The Academic Experience of Male High School Students with ADHD

Abstract

This study compared the high school academic experience of adolescents with and without childhood ADHD using data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS). Participants were 326 males with childhood ADHD and 213 demographically similar males without ADHD who were recruited at the start of the follow-up study. Data were collected yearly from parents, teachers and schools. The current study used assessment points at which the participants were currently in or had recently completed grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Results indicated that adolescents with ADHD experienced significant academic impairment in high school relative to comparison adolescents, including lower overall and main academic subject grade point averages (GPA), lower levels of class placement (e.g. remedial vs. honors), and higher rates of course failure. In addition, teacher reports indicated that adolescents with ADHD completed and turned in a significantly lower percentage of assignments and were significantly less likely to be working up to their potential. Adolescents with ADHD were also significantly more likely to be absent or tardy during the academic year, and they were over eight times more likely than adolescents without ADHD to drop out of high school. These findings demonstrate that children with ADHD continue to experience severe academic impairment into high school.

Importance of Early Intervention and Special Educational Support for High School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…High school students with ADHD are also significantly more likely to be absent or tardy and are more than eight times more likely to drop out of school than their peers without ADHD [13]. They are significantly more likely to withdraw from a course [11].…”

Réflexion sur la pertinence de s’intéresser aux stratégies d’étude des étudiants ayant un trouble d’apprentissage ou un TDA/H afin de favoriser leur réussite scolaire

“…D'ailleurs, il faut spécifier que ces résultats concernent uniquement les étudiants ayant un TA ou un TDA/H qui ont réussi à accéder aux études postsecondaires et que, de ce fait, tous ceux qui n'ont pas poursuivi leurs études ne sont pas considérés par l'étude. Or, l'hyperactivité et l'inattention sont considérées comme des facteurs de risque importants du décrochage scolaire (Gregg, 2009 ;Kent et al, 2011 ;Pica, Plante et Traoré, 2014 ;Vitaro, Brendgen, Larose et Tremblay, 2005). Les travaux de Barkley, Murphy et Fischer (2008) indiquent que les personnes ayant un TDA/H ont moins de chance de poursuivre des études postsecondaires que leurs pairs.…”

Effects of ADHD on Writing Composition Product and Process in School-Age Students

“…Their review also suggested that students with ADHD were more likely to be identified as having learning disabilities and to be grade-retained. Nevertheless, the effects of ADHD on standardized scholastic achievement tasks remain after controlling for general intellectual ability and co-morbid deficits in cognitive function (Alloway, 2009;Kent et al, 2011;Mayes & Calhoun, 2006). The effects of ADHD are also more pronounced for some areas of learning than for others.…”