Temporal stability of ADHD in the high-IQ population: results from the MGH Longitudinal Family Studies of ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
The diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in high-IQ youths remains controversial.


METHODS
To further explore the diagnostic validity of ADHD in this population, we studied two cohorts of high-IQ youths, both with and without ADHD, across a 4.5-year period.


RESULTS
Compared to those without ADHD, high-IQ youths with ADHD had significantly higher rates of mood, anxiety, and disruptive behavior disorders at follow-up. In addition, ADHD status was a significant predictor for higher impairments across most social, academic, and family functional domains. Associations between baseline and follow-up IQ scores did not differ between groups. Syndromal persistence rates of ADHD were similar between high-IQ and average-IQ youths with ADHD.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide further support for the predictive validity of ADHD in high-IQ youths.
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Kevin M
KM
Antshel
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Stephen V
SV
Faraone
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Katharine
K
Maglione
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Alysa
A
Doyle
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Ronna
R
Fried
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Larry
L
Seidman
Drs. Antschel and Faraone and Ms. Maglione are with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University; and Drs. Doyle, Fried, Siedman, and Biederman are with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Electronic address: biederman@helix.mgh.harvard.edu.
Joseph
J
Biederman
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data