This qualitative study investigated the educational and social experiences of six children who had been identified as Gifted with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The children were aged from six to ten years old. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the children and their parents and a staff member of the George Parkyn Centre (now The Gifted Education Centre) to explore their educational and social experiences in order to identify their preferred strategies that were also expected to be the most effective educational strategies. It is important to identify effective educational strategies for Gifted children with ADHD. This is because there are children in New Zealand (as this study has found) who have been identified as Gifted with ADHD but according to the literature review conducted for this study there does not appear to be a significant amount of literature from New Zealand or international writers that informs educators about how to assist these children to learn. Instead, the literature appeared to focus on misdiagnosis of Giftedness as ADHD, however, these children may benefit from having assistance with their learning as some literature suggested they are not being identified and could be underachievers. It seems that the use of effective educational strategies may be the only way these children could reach their academic potential. Therefore, this study sought to move on from the misdiagnosis debate evident in the Gifted/ADHD literature to identify some effective educational strategies. This study also investigated the social experiences of Gifted children with ADHD. This is because the literature maintained Gifted children with ADHD could have difficulties with social interactions. Talking to the children about their social interactions could indicate whether the literature's implications are correct and if they are it should allow further understanding regarding how we could assist the Gifted child with ADHD to have more positive social interactions that could also positively impact on learning as social interactions occur within the classroom. The key findings of this study indicated that some Gifted children with had specific learning preferences that could stimulate them to learn (e.g., when their interests were recognised, information was presented visually, tasks had a meaningful purpose and movement and use of computers was allowed). Ineffective educational strategies were also addressed although not in detail as for the most part they seemed to be the opposite of effective educational strategies. The findings also indicated Gifted children with ADHD could benefit when they find their 'true peer' as this seemed to result in the children within this study wanting to work with others. Although specific suggestions were recommended (e.g., the use Renzulli's 1977 Enrichment Triad Model) the findings emphasised the depth of information that could be gained by simply talking to children and their parents about their learning. A wider implication may be this Gifted group of children may benefit from the use of specific educational strategies that personalise their learning.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is comorbid with a range of other disorders in clinical and community samples, including anxiety disorders. The outcomes of the Multimodal Treatment Studies of ADHD (MTA Cooperative Group, 1999) highlight the importance of this comorbidity, as children with anxiety responded differently to treatments than did children with ADHD only. At present there are few tested theoretical explanations of the etiological processes and developmental trajectories associated with their co-occurrence. The aim of this research was to put forward and examine different explanations for the comorbidity of these two disorders in children according to the framework provided by Lilienfeld (2003). This was achieved by examining the covariation of ADHD symptoms and anxiety symptoms in a community sample of 499 children aged 8-13. Dimensional assessments of psychopathology were conducted via self-report questionnaires given to children, parents and teachers. The results were analysed via structural equation modelling approaches using AMOS (Arbuckle, 2003). Consistent with the hypotheses, positive associations at Time 1 between ADHD and anxiety symptoms were linked with inattention symptoms and were particularly pronounced for girls. The concurrent positive associations observed at each time period could not be completely accounted for by overlapping symptoms across measures or by method covariance explanations. The link between ADHD and anxiety symptoms could be explained by a common factor in reporting whereby ADHD and anxiety symptoms were both associated with noncompliance and negative affect for parents' reports, and negative affect for children???s' reports. Despite the concurrent associations, there was no support for the hypothesis that ADHD symptoms predicted the development of anxiety symptoms over time, nor the alternative hypothesis that anxiety symptoms predicted the development of ADHD symptoms over time, when the stability of symptoms across time was taken into account. It was concluded that ADHD symptoms (particularly inattention) and anxiety symptoms are covarying phenomena that are linked with common features of an irritable temperament and disruptive behaviour. Future research should investigate the role of these common factors in treatment outcome and cognitive research, which has previously found differences between ADHD children with and without anxiety.

Sixty-five male volunteers from a court mandated domestic violence treatment program were administered a questionnaire to assess for the presence of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors. The questionnaire included copies of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the Attention Deficit Scales for Adults (ADSA), as well as demographic information and diagnostic questions assessing previous professional diagnoses. Results indicated that 93.8% met or surpassed Wender's suggested cutoff score of 36 indicating the presence of ADHD symptoms, and 64.6% met or surpassed the higher suggested cutoff score of 46. Twenty-three percent (15) of the participants met the criteria suggesting the presence of adult ADHD behaviors as measured by the ADSA. A factor analysis of the WURS resulted in participant scores loading on four factors suggesting a combination of ADHD and conduct disorder (CD) behaviors. Results are discussed in light of previous research indicating the WURS' difficulty in clearly discriminating among disruptive behavior disorders. Implications for consideration of adult ADHD as a possible predisposing factor in the perpetration of violence are discussed. Treatment suggestions specifically targeting male DV perpetrators are offered, such as increased use of experiential exercises, minimizing distractions, increasing awareness of potential sensitivity to sound levels, and inclusion of stress reduction techniques. Limitations of this study are discussed in light of instruments utilized, question wording, and study design. Suggestions are made for further research with other DV groups from which results are generalizable to the larger DV perpetrator population. / Graduation date: 1999

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Arthur Anastopoulos; submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-84).

This multi-method study provides detailed information about the friendships of 87 children with ADHD (77.0% boys) and 46 comparison children (73.9% boys) between the ages of 7 and 13. The methods used in the study included parent and teacher ratings, self-report measures, and direct observation of friends’ dyadic behaviours in three structured analogue tasks. Results indicated that, in contrast with comparison children, children with ADHD had friends with high levels of ADHD and oppositional symptoms; they perceived fewer positive features and more negative features, and were less satisfied in their friendships. Observational data indicated that children with ADHD performed both more legal and more illegal manoeuvres than comparison children in a fast-paced competitive game. While negotiating with their friends, children with ADHD made more insensitive and self-centred proposals than comparison children. In dyads consisting of one child with ADHD and one typically developing child, children with ADHD were often more controlling than their non-diagnosed friends. Globally, these results were robust and did not seem to be affected by age differences, ADHD subtypes, comorbidities, and medication status. Given the increased recognition of ADHD in adolescence and adulthood as well as the fact that negative peer reputation in childhood very strongly predicts mental-health status by early adulthood, this research may lead to the discovery of meaningful ways to help people with ADHD achieve improved mental health and happiness over their lifespan.

This multi-method study provides detailed information about the friendships of 87 children with ADHD (77.0% boys) and 46 comparison children (73.9% boys) between the ages of 7 and 13. The methods used in the study included parent and teacher ratings, self-report measures, and direct observation of friends’ dyadic behaviours in three structured analogue tasks. Results indicated that, in contrast with comparison children, children with ADHD had friends with high levels of ADHD and oppositional symptoms; they perceived fewer positive features and more negative features, and were less satisfied in their friendships. Observational data indicated that children with ADHD performed both more legal and more illegal manoeuvres than comparison children in a fast-paced competitive game. While negotiating with their friends, children with ADHD made more insensitive and self-centred proposals than comparison children. In dyads consisting of one child with ADHD and one typically developing child, children with ADHD were often more controlling than their non-diagnosed friends. Globally, these results were robust and did not seem to be affected by age differences, ADHD subtypes, comorbidities, and medication status. Given the increased recognition of ADHD in adolescence and adulthood as well as the fact that negative peer reputation in childhood very strongly predicts mental-health status by early adulthood, this research may lead to the discovery of meaningful ways to help people with ADHD achieve improved mental health and happiness over their lifespan.

Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for elctronic link.

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2003. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 3312. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as preliminary leaf iv. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-43).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2004. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-124).