Is ADHD a valid disorder in children with intellectual delays?

Kevin M Antshel; Margaret H Phillips; Michael Gordon; Russell Barkley; Stephen V Faraone

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2006.03.002

Is ADHD a valid disorder in children with intellectual delays?

Clin Psychol Rev. 2006 Sep;26(5):555-72. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2006.03.002. Epub 2006 May 9.

Authors

Kevin M Antshel¹, Margaret H Phillips, Michael Gordon, Russell Barkley, Stephen V Faraone

Affiliation

¹ State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA. AntshelK@upstate.edu

PMID: 16687197
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2006.03.002

Abstract

To assess the validity of ADHD in children with mental retardation, we applied Robins and Guze's [Robins, E., and Guze, S.B. (1970). Establishment of diagnostic validity in psychiatric illness: Its application to schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 983-987.] criteria for determining the validity of a psychiatric disorder. We review the literature describing clinical correlates, family history, treatment response, laboratory studies, course, and outcome of children with ADHD and mental retardation. Although clearly an area in need of further research, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that ADHD is a valid psychiatric condition in children with mental retardation. Nevertheless, without knowing the base rates of ADHD symptoms in the mental retardation population, the positive predictive power and negative predictive power of ADHD symptoms in this population remain an open question. In addition to assessment of base rate symptoms, future research should consider what diagnostic algorithm may best be applied to the diagnosis of ADHD in mental retardation.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis*
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / epidemiology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / genetics
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / therapy
Child
Child Behavior Disorders / diagnosis
Child Behavior Disorders / epidemiology
Child Behavior Disorders / genetics
Child Behavior Disorders / therapy
Child, Preschool
Comorbidity
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Intellectual Disability / diagnosis*
Intellectual Disability / epidemiology
Intellectual Disability / genetics
Intellectual Disability / therapy
Intelligence
Personality Assessment
Phenotype
Reproducibility of Results
Treatment Outcome