Four-year follow-up of children with low intelligence and ADHD: a replication.
Low-IQ plus ADHD often means lifelong ADHD plus new diagnoses, so keep monitoring.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Aman et al. (2002) checked on the same kids four and a half years later.
All had low IQ and ADHD. Most had tried several medicines.
The team asked parents and teachers to fill out the Conners scale again.
What they found
Hyperactivity scores dropped a little, but most kids still met ADHD rules.
Many had picked up new labels like ODD or anxiety.
Medicine helped a bit, yet symptoms stayed high.
How this fits with other research
Matson et al. (2011) followed a wider group from age five to eight. They also saw ADHD stick around longer when IQ is low. Their longer view builds on G’s four-year data.
McClain et al. (2017) looked at kids with ADHD, ASD, or ID side-by-side. They found lower ADHD scores in the ID-only group. This seems to clash with G’s picture of lasting, severe ADHD. The gap is about method: G tracked the same medicated kids over time, while Brunson took one-time ratings across diagnoses.
Lancioni et al. (2009) tested adults with both ADHD and mild ID. They showed extra attention slips beyond what IQ predicts. Together with G, the story is clear: the double burden starts in childhood and lasts.
Why it matters
Expect ADHD to stay and bring friends like ODD or anxiety.
Plan for long-haul support, not a short pill fix.
Watch for new symptoms each year and adjust behavior plans as the child grows.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Twenty children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and low IQs, who participated in a drug study, were followed up 4.5 years later, when their ages averaged 12.4 years (range: 8-20 years: SD = 2.78). Participants were assessed by their parents and teachers on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC; Aman & Singh, 1994), on the Child Symptom Inventory (CSI; Gadow & Sprafkin, 1994), and on a structured interview. A majority of children continued to screen positive for ADHD at follow-up, as well as display high rates of comorbid anxiety disorders, tics, and elimination disorders. Educational placement became slightly more restrictive over the follow-up interval. Multiple medication trials (30 in all, among 14 participants) were attempted between initial contact and follow-up. Ratings on the ABC by parents and teachers showed significantly lower scores at follow-up on the Hyperactivity subscale. Relatively few associations were found between initial ratings and follow-up ratings on standardized scales.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2002 · doi:10.1016/s0891-4222(02)00090-2