title: Intellectual performance and school failure in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and in their siblings.
abstract: We made psychiatric and intellectual assessments of 140 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 120 normal controls, and their 303 siblings. The index children were white, non-Hispanic boys. ADHD children were more likely to have had learning disabilities, repeated grades, been placed in special classes, and received academic tutoring. They also did worse on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-R). Among ADHD probands, comorbid conduct, major depressive, and anxiety disorders predicted school placement more than school failure or WISC-R scores. However, the neuropsychological disability of all ADHD children could not be attributed to comorbid disorders because those without comorbidity had more school failure and lower WISC-R scores than normal controls. Intellectual impairment was also increased among siblings of ADHD children. This provides converging evidence that the ADHD syndrome is familial.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hosp Child Psychiatry Service, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Unit, Boston.
authors.forename: Stephen V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Faraone
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biederman
authors.forename: Belinda Krifcher
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Lehman
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Seidman
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: James
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1810-3708
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: Wei J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tsuang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004519:Education, Special; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D014477:Underachievement; D014888:Wechsler Scales