Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with and without a learning disorder (LD) and a control group of clinically referred individuals with behavioral problems were compared on four neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe functioning. Test results were collected to examine if ADHD individuals with and without LD have deficits in frontal lobe functioning. Two age groups were used to examine developmental differences. In the six to ten age group there were 27 ADHD, 17 ADHD/LD and seven other clinically referred individuals. In the 11 -20 age group there were 12 ADHD, 23 ADHD/LD and 24 other clinically referred individuals. The ADHD and ADHD/LD groups performed at a lower level than the other diagnostic group on the freedom from distractibility factor of the WISC-R and the omission and commission errors of the Gordon Diagnostic system. Differences for the ADHD and ADHD/LD groups were also found on the number of correct responses for the Gordon Diagnostic system, the Speech Sounds test and the Seashore Rhythm test. The developmental differences that were found were not influenced by diagnosis. The deficits that the ADHD individuals with and without LD demonstrated were not affected by age.

Metopic synostosis is a condition in which the metopic suture of the human cranium fuses prematurely and may be related to poor behavioral inhibition leading to behaviors commonly associated with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this project was to examine the behavior patterns among children with a history of metopic synostosis. It was hypothesized that children with a history of metopic synostosis would exhibit many of the same behavioral patterns associated with ADHD. It was also hypothesized that children with a history of simple synostosis not involving the metopic suture would not evidence this type of behavioral pattern. In order to test these hypotheses, the behavior of three groups of children was compared including (1) children who had a history of metopic synostosis (M= 7.63 years, SD = 1.92 years), (2) children who had a history of simple craniosynostosis not involving the metopic suture (M= 7.54 years, SD = 1.88 years), and (3) a group of children diagnosed with ADHD (M=7.78 year, SD = 1.87 years). It was found using the Home and School versions of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES) that children with a history of metopic synostosis demonstrate significantly more behavioral disturbances than children with a history of simple craniosynostosis not involving the metopic suture. Using the BASC Teacher Rating Form it was found that children with a history of metopic synostosis have a behavior pattern similar to children diagnosed with ADHD and a dissimilar behavior pattern compared to children who have a history of craniosynostosis not involving the metopic suture. Using the BASC Parent Rating Form it was found that children with a history of metopic synostosis have a behavior pattern dissimilar to children diagnosed with ADHD and a dissimilar behavior pattern compared to children who have a history of craniosynostosis not involving the metopic suture.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders of childhood. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of combined parent training and structured group therapy with children diagnosed with ADHD. The study sought to evaluate the amount of parent training needed to lead to significant changes in children and parents. Families were assigned to a wait-list control condition or to one of two parent treatment conditions: a complete parent group or a handout-only group. Children participated in a seven session social skills and behavior management group. The treatments were designed to concurrently enhance skills of both parents and children. Dependent measures assessed change in the following three areas: (1) child symptomatic behaviors, (2) parental attitudes, and (3) parental behaviors. Results showed that the full parent group led to greater levels of improvement in both child behavior problems and parental feelings of stress and control. The full parent group also led to greater consistency in parenting methods. Findings in the study are discussed in the context of the parent-child coercive cycle model.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), once considered a childhood-limited neuropsychiatric condition, is now recognized as often persisting into adolescence and beyond. Recent studies of ADHD and its symptom domains--hyperactivity and inattention--indicate that symptoms can wax and wane over time and follow discrete trajectories characterized by different symptom levels and shapes. However, little is known about symptom trajectories in high-risk groups, such as boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Childhood ADHD is associated with cigarette smoking in adolescence, but whether the risk is specific to hyperactivity or inattention or their respective symptom trajectories is not clear. The aims of my dissertation research were to identify trajectories of hyperactivity and inattention symptom scores in a sample of boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds and to assess the associations of those trajectories with cigarette smoking outcomes in late adolescence and young adulthood. In pursuit of those aims, I first conducted a narrative literature review to assess current evidence regarding the persistence of childhood ADHD, hyperactivity and inattention into adolescence, and the associations of persistent ADHD and its symptom domains with the risks of cigarette smoking and nicotine abuse and dependence in adolescence and early adulthood. Data on boys of low socioeconomic status, where available, were summarized. Evidence suggests that nearly 50% of individuals with childhood ADHD or its symptom domains continue to have symptoms in adulthood. Hyperactivity symptom trajectories are likely to decline over time, whereas inattention symptom trajectories are more stable. The sparse literature on the association between ADHD, hyperactivity, and inattention symptom persistence and high symptom score trajectories and smoking outcomes suggests that high inattention symptom score trajectories are associated with earlier onset and higher risk of nicotine abuse or dependence in early adulthood than lower trajectories. Evidence on hyperactivity symptom score trajectories and similar smoking outcomes is inconclusive. Literature on symptom trajectories in low socioeconomic boys is sorely lacking; no study has evaluated the association of symptom score trajectories with smoking outcomes. Second, in a sample of 1,037 boys from low socioeconomic neighborhoods, I derived trajectories of hyperactivity and inattention symptom scores between childhood and mid-adolescence (ages 6-15 years), using teachers’ and mothers’ ratings, separately. I also evaluated risk factors for high symptom score trajectories. Three trajectories were identified for both hyperactivity and inattention symptom scores. Hyperactivity symptom scores generally declined over time (high declining, moderate declining, and low declining), whereas inattention symptom scores remained stable (high stable, moderate stable, and low stable). Most boys had low symptom scores over time (i.e., low declining for hyperactivity or low stable for inattention), but approximately one-fifth to one-third followed high symptom score trajectories (high declining for hyperactivity or high stable for inattention). Mothers were more likely than teachers to rate boys as having higher symptom scores. Boys’ behavioral symptom scores (hyperactivity, inattention, opposition, and anxiety) at age 6 years and lack of family intactness were risk factors for high hyperactivity and inattention symptom score trajectories. Third, in the same sample of boys from low socioeconomic neighborhoods, I assessed the associations of the hyperactivity and inattention symptom score trajectories with frequency of cigarette smoking at ages 16-17 years (late adolescence) and daily and heavy (≥1 pack/day) smoking at ages 23 and 28 years (young adulthood). I further conducted mediational analyses to assess the potential impact of cigarette smoking frequency and use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs in late adolescence on smoking outcomes in young adulthood. High vs. low symptom score trajectories of hyperactivity (i.e., high declining vs. low declining) and inattention (i.e., high stable vs. low stable) were associated with nearly doubled odds of high cigarette smoking frequency (≥40 times in the past year) in late adolescence (hyperactivity: OR=1.97 [95% CI=1.30-2.98]; inattention: OR=1.87 [1.27-2.76]). High (vs. low) symptom score trajectory of inattention, but not hyperactivity, was further associated with elevated risk for daily cigarette smoking (OR=2.67 [1.53-4.64]) and heavy cigarette smoking (OR=1.95 [1.10-3.45]) in young adulthood. Part of the associations (about 11-23%) was mediated by high cigarette smoking frequency in late adolescence. The mediation roles of other substances were not statistically significant. Although the socioeconomically disadvantaged boys whose data I analyzed were similar in number of symptom score trajectories and trends (declining for hyperactivity and stable for inattention) to boys in general populations, they were at elevated risk for high scores for both of the symptom domains over time. Childhood behavioral problems as well as lack of family intactness were associated with high symptom score trajectories of both hyperactivity and inattention. High trajectories of both hyperactivity and inattention scores were associated with high risk of cigarette smoking frequency in late adolescence, but inattention appeared to have a longer-term impact on smoking behaviors. Altogether, my research findings suggest that children with high symptom levels of hyperactivity and/or inattention at an early age, especially those with symptoms that persist over time, might benefit from early interventions to manage and reduce their symptoms and their risk of becoming cigarette smokers.

Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka hur det kan vara att leva med ADHD som vuxen inom tre områden; arbete, fritidsaktiviteter och vardagsliv, och på så vis öka förståelsen för dessa individer.  Som underlag för studien gjordes kvalitativa intervjuer med tre vuxna män med ADHD-diagnos. Resultatet från dessa intervjuer analyserades med hjälp av teorier om copingstrategier och KASAM.  Intervjumaterialet visade på en stor spridning av hur funktionsnedsättningen ADHD påverkade livet. Det var främst symptomen uppmärksamhetsstörning och hyperaktivitet som ledde till svårigheter i arbetsliv, fritid och vardagsliv. Svårigheterna yttrade sig dock på väldigt olika sätt. Symptomet hyperaktivitet upplevdes i vissa situationer som en tillgång. Eftersom ADHD påverkade intervjupersonerna olika gavs exempel på ett flertal copingstrategier. Det gavs också olika exempel på hur ADHD påverkade intervjupersonernas upplevelse av begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet. / The purpose of this paper was to examine life with ADHD as an adult in three areas: work, leisure activities and daily life, and thereby increase the understanding of these individuals. The empirical research of the study was interviews with three adult males with ADHD. The result from the interviews was analyzed using theories of coping strategies and SOC. The result revealed a width of how the disability ADHD affected the interviewee’s lives.  It was mainly the symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity that affected work, leisure and everyday life. The difficulties were manifested in very different ways. The symptom hyperactivity could in some situations be seen as a benefit. Since ADHD affected the interviewees in different ways a number of various coping strategies were given as examples of how the interviewees deal with stressful situations in live. Various examples of how ADHD affected the interviewee’s experience of SOC were reviled in the study.

Through employing a two-faceted approach to the sociological study of Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this thesis seeks to further the study of this mental illness and also to elucidate new methodological directions for the sociology of similar phenomena. Past approaches in the sociology of mental disorder have considerable merit, but may also be limited in the type of analyses they offer. One particular limitation concerns sociological accounts of mental illness that portray the meaning of such illnesses as unified and that this unification results from the collusion of special interests. Sociologists who address mental illnesses as social problems, for example, appear wont to portray such illnesses as social constructions which arise from specific agents of labeling. With regard to ADHD, previous sociological accounts often make a case for the rhetorical and political power of government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies. Though such agents are certainly influential in shaping public conceptions of ADHD, this thesis demonstrates that ADHD is interpreted in various ways. These assertions are supported through the analysis of two different data sources: 1) textual data; and 2) interview data. The textual data for the first part of the thesis comprises the subject matter for a genealogy of ADHD. Through examining past and contemporary texts that frame this disorder, including medical journal articles, medical manuals, popular writings, and parental guidebooks, the author argues that the historical and current discussions of ADHD are replete with differing interpretations of the causes and treatments for ADHD. These ADHD discourses, as they are seen through written accounts, offer a variety of perspectives towards the disorder, drawing from many opposing schools of thought. Most notable in this regard are psychodynamic and neurological approaches to ADHD. I argue that even though the neurological perspective towards ADHD appears to be the most dominant in diagnosing and treating the disorder, it is far from monolithic. ' The second part of the thesis draws upon interview data from sixty-two respondents associated with cases of ADHD: twenty clinicians, twenty parents, and twenty-two teachers. Each of these groups of respondents were asked questions designed to solicit their subjective experiences with the disorder, including how they perceived ADHD children and their sources of ADHD knowledge. The analysis of such data is placed against the backdrop of the genealogical part of the thesis. Responses from participants are examined as reflecting ADHD discourses. Some respondents, for example, demonstrate a commitment to neurological perspectives towards ADHD, while others gravitate towards psychodynamic or combined understandings of the disorder. Through combining these two data sources, this thesis analyzes ADHD discourses that give rise to conceptions of the disorder and shows how these discourses influence attitudes and actions towards ADHD. By giving less salience to the collusive relationships between government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies, and by putting more focus on the relationship between the three major groupings directly involved in the ADHD experience—clinicians, teachers, and parents—this thesis furthers the sociological study of ADHD.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2323. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-60).

Through employing a two-faceted approach to the sociological study of Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this thesis seeks to further the study of this mental illness and also to elucidate new methodological directions for the sociology of similar phenomena. Past approaches in the sociology of mental disorder have considerable merit, but may also be limited in the type of analyses they offer. One particular limitation concerns sociological accounts of mental illness that portray the meaning of such illnesses as unified and that this unification results from the collusion of special interests. Sociologists who address mental illnesses as social problems, for example, appear wont to portray such illnesses as social constructions which arise from specific agents of labeling. With regard to ADHD, previous sociological accounts often make a case for the rhetorical and political power of government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies. Though such agents are certainly influential in shaping public conceptions of ADHD, this thesis demonstrates that ADHD is interpreted in various ways. These assertions are supported through the analysis of two different data sources: 1) textual data; and 2) interview data. The textual data for the first part of the thesis comprises the subject matter for a genealogy of ADHD. Through examining past and contemporary texts that frame this disorder, including medical journal articles, medical manuals, popular writings, and parental guidebooks, the author argues that the historical and current discussions of ADHD are replete with differing interpretations of the causes and treatments for ADHD. These ADHD discourses, as they are seen through written accounts, offer a variety of perspectives towards the disorder, drawing from many opposing schools of thought. Most notable in this regard are psychodynamic and neurological approaches to ADHD. I argue that even though the neurological perspective towards ADHD appears to be the most dominant in diagnosing and treating the disorder, it is far from monolithic. ' The second part of the thesis draws upon interview data from sixty-two respondents associated with cases of ADHD: twenty clinicians, twenty parents, and twenty-two teachers. Each of these groups of respondents were asked questions designed to solicit their subjective experiences with the disorder, including how they perceived ADHD children and their sources of ADHD knowledge. The analysis of such data is placed against the backdrop of the genealogical part of the thesis. Responses from participants are examined as reflecting ADHD discourses. Some respondents, for example, demonstrate a commitment to neurological perspectives towards ADHD, while others gravitate towards psychodynamic or combined understandings of the disorder. Through combining these two data sources, this thesis analyzes ADHD discourses that give rise to conceptions of the disorder and shows how these discourses influence attitudes and actions towards ADHD. By giving less salience to the collusive relationships between government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies, and by putting more focus on the relationship between the three major groupings directly involved in the ADHD experience—clinicians, teachers, and parents—this thesis furthers the sociological study of ADHD. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur personer med ADHD upplever sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Förhoppningen var att få ökad kunskap och ökad förståelse för hur dessa upplevelser såg ut. Den tidigare forskningen visade att personer med ADHD i större utsträckning hade fler byten av jobb, mer ofta arbetade deltid, samt hade fler sjukskrivningsdagar. Den tidigare forskningen visade även att kontexten hade stor betydelse för hur de upplevde sina symptom. Rätt sammanhang innebar att personer med ADHD kunde omvandla sina brister till styrkor. Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ metod och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens resultat bygger på intervjuer med nio personer, som bearbetades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Baserat på analysen framkom fem huvudkategorier, vilket var de faktorer som bäst beskrev de medverkandes upplevelse av den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Dessa var: arbetsuppgifternas utformning, krav, arbetets betydelse, socialt klimat och egenbestämmande. Studiens resultat visade på både likheter och skillnader kopplat till den tidigare forskningen, vilket indikerade att det krävs individanpassade åtgärder för att kunna hjälpa och stötta personer med ADHD i arbetslivet. / The purpose of this study was to find out how people with ADHD experienced their psychosocial work environment. The hope was to gain increased knowledge and understanding of these experiences. Previous research showed that people with ADHD to a greater extent had more job changes, more often worked part-time and had more sick leave days. Previous research also showed that the context was of great importance for how they experienced their symptoms. The suitable contextmeant that people with ADHD could turn their shortcomings into strengths. The study was conducted using a qualitative method and semi-structured interviews. The results of the study are based on interviews with nine people, which were processed using thematic analysis. Based on the analysis, five main categories emerged, which were the factors that best described the participants’ experience of the psychosocial work environment. These were: the design of the tasks, requirements, importance of the work, social climate and self-determination. The results of the study showed both similarities and differences linked to the previous research, which indicated that individualized measures are required to be able to help and support people with ADHD in working life.

Bakgrund: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) är en neuropsykiatrisk sjukdom. Klassiska symtom för ADHD är bristande impulskontroll, hyperaktivitet samt koncentrationssvårigheter. Det saknas systematiska översiktsstudier som beskriver vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ADHD och dessa kan vara viktiga för att sjuksköterskan ska kunna ge en god omvårdnad.  Syfte: Att beskriva vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ADHD. Metod: Åtta kvalitativa artiklar granskades och sammanställdes till denna litteraturstudie. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i ett övergripande tema: “Att uppleva ADHD både som hinder och styrka i vardagen”. Huvudtemat bestod av följande subteman: “Att utsätta sig för risker på grund av stress och dålig impulskontroll”, “Bristande impulskontroll och koncentrationssvårigheter försvårar relationer”, “Att uppleva svårigheter i skola och arbetsliv på grund av koncentrationssvårigheter”, “Att uppleva hur ADHD leder till positiva erfarenheter”, “Att uppleva stigmatisering och brist på förståelse från samhället” och “Att självkänslan och självbilden påverkas negativt”.      Konklusion: Litteraturstudiens resultat visar att personer med ADHD har en ökad risk för ett sämre välmående. Sjuksköterskan kan genom personcentrerad omvårdnad bidra till högre vårdkvalité. Att hitta strategier och metoder som kan bidra till att personer med ADHD får möjlighet att hantera diagnosen bättre kan sannolikt leda till ett ökat välmående men fler studier behövs. / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder. Classic symptoms of ADHD are lack of impulse control, hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating. There are no systematic reviews that describes the lived experience among adults living with ADHD. These could be important for nurses to provide good nursing care.Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the lived experience among adults living with ADHD. Methods: Eight qualitative articles were reviewed, analyzed and compiled for this literature study. Results: The analysis resulted in an overall theme: “Experience ADHD both as an obstacle and a strength in everyday life”. The main theme consisted of sub-themes: "Exposing oneself to risks due to stress and poor impulse control", "Lack of impulse control and concentrating difficulties impact on relationships", "Experiencing difficulties in school and work due to concentration difficulties", "Experiencing how ADHD leads to positive experiences”, “Experiencing stigma from lack of understanding from society” and ”That self-esteem and self-image are negatively affected ”. Conclusion: This literature study shows that people with ADHD have an increased risk for a poorer well-being. The nurse can contribute to higher quality care through person-centered nursing. Finding strategies that can help people with ADHD handle their diagnosis could lead to increased well-being, more studies are needed.