THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADHD BOYS - A 12-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Children assessed as ADHD were compared, in adolescence or early adulthood, with normal control subjects. The core deficits of the disorder persisted in more than half of the ADHD group, Although the ADHD group displayed significantly more Antisocial Personality Disorder and Drug Use Disorders than the control group in adolescence, these group differences were significantly attributable to the aggressive subgroup of ADHD children. In contrast, adolescents who were primarily inattentive/overactive in childhood did not differ significantly from the control group in psychiatric functioning, except for their persistent ADHD. The aggressive subgroup of ADHD children had received the most individual and residential treatment for their behaviour problems. At follow-up, ADHD subjects experienced significantly more problems in high school and they displayed significantly poorer spelling, arithmetic and reading comprehension skills than did the control group.