Function, impairment, and long-term outcomes in children with ADHD and how to measure them

• Published in: Pediatric annals 2008-01, Vol.37 (1), p.28-30
• Main Author: Lollar, Donald J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic failure; Adolescents; Alienation; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - classification; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Behavior; Child; Children & youth; Conceptual Tempo; Diabetes; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Emotional Problems; Etiology; Health Conditions; Humans; Hyperactivity; International Classification of Diseases; Legal Problems; Male; Medical treatment; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Outcome Measures; R&D; Research & development; Student Participation; Time; Treatment Outcome; World Health Organization
• ISSN: 0090-4481; 1938-2359
• DOI: 10.3928/00904481-20080101-08

Abstract only The title of this article portends a complicated perspective on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Function, impairment, long-term outcomes, and measurement are each topics for extensive discussion. But there is uniformity among them that allows straightforward discussion of the topics and their applications to practice and research. By disentangling some of the interrelated notions of ADHD that have become so standard as to be unquestioned — namely the inclusion of different levels of function in the characteristics used to define the diagnosis of ADHD — clinicians and researchers will understand that there is a great need for clearer distinctions within our diagnostic criteria and intervention strategies, so that long-term positive outcomes can be achieved by those living with ADHD.ABOUT THE AUTHORDonald J. Lollar, EdD, is Senior Research Scientist, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.Address correspondence to Donald J. Lollar, EdD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, M/S E-87, Atlanta, GA 30333; fax [phone].Dr. Lollar has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.