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Methodological Differences In The Diagnosis Of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Impact On Prevalence

MORRIS J. COHEN is a pediatric neuropsychologist in the Section of Child Neurology, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia. In addition, Dr. Cohen holds adjunct faculty status in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia. He received his EdD from the University of Georgia and his EdS from Georgia State University. His current professional work involves directing the Child Neuropsychology Service at the Medical College. His research interests include developmental dyslexia and aphasia, memory, and Attentiondeficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist.

Cynthia A. Riccio

CYNTHIA A. RICCIO is a postdoctoral fellow with the Center for Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology at the University of Georgia. She received her PhD in educational psychology/school psychology from the University of Georgia and her EdS in school psychology from the University of Hartford, in Connecticut. Her current interests include neuropsychology and the relationship between Specific Language Impairment (SLI), Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Learning Disabilities. She is a nationally certified school psychologist.

José J. Gonzalez

JOSÉ J. GONZALEZ is an advanced doctoral student in the Educational Psychology/ School Psychology program at the University of Georgia. He received his MA in educational psychology from the University of Georgia. His research interests at this point have included areas of neuropsychology and childhood psychopathology, with particular interest in Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Although there has been extensive research in the area of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the estimated prevalence of this disorder ranges from 1% to 20%. This variability is due in part to variations in how one defines ADHD and the difficulty of precisely measuring the features of the syndrome. Additionally, problems of differential diagnosis and comorbidity of ADHD with other disorders may impact resultant prevalence rates. The present study was conducted in order to examine the impact of various qualitative and quantitative differences in the diagnostic process on the prevalence of ADHD in samples of children in special education and children referred to a tertiary-care specialty clinic for learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD. Of particular interest was the prevalence of ADHD with no other psychopathology ("pure" ADHD) in the two samples. Children with pure ADHD made up only 15.8% of the special education sample (teacher rating only). In contrast, the prevalence of pure ADHD in the specialty clinic sample ranged from 35.6% (teacher rating only) to 11.9% (parent rating only). Only 5.9% were rated by both teacher and parent as pure ADHD. The clinical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the criteria for diagnosis of ADHD and implications for future research.

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Vol. 2, No. 1, 31-38 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/106342669400200104


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