Motor correlates of ADHD: contribution of reading disability and oppositional defiant disorder.
This study investigated whether the likelihood of motor impairment in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases with the presence of other disorders, and whether the co-occurring diagnoses of reading disability (RD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) account for the motor deficits seen in ADHD. A total of 291 children (218 boys, 73 girls) participated. Six groups of children were compared: ADHD only (n = 29); RD only (n = 63); ADHD and RD (n = 47); ADHD and ODD (n = 19); ADHD, RD, and ODD (n = 21); and typically developing control children (n = 112). Motor skills were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Beery Test of Visual-Motor Integration. We found that the motor skills of the ADHD-only group did not differ from the typical control group. Furthermore, motor impairment in ADHD increased as a function of co-occurring disorders, and the presence of RD rather than ADHD predicted motor impairment.
Kooistra
Libbe
L
Behavioural Research Unit, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Canada. libbe.kooistra@calgaryhealthregion.ca
Crawford
Susan
S
Dewey
Deborah
D
Cantell
Marja
M
Kaplan
Bonnie J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014888:Wechsler Scales