| There has been almost as much excitement in the | | | | the severity of a child's ADHD symptoms. Parent and |
| ADHD community regarding a new study by Duke | | | | teacher agreement is even worse. In 30% to 50% |
| University researchers that has found that | | | | of cases parent and teacher will not agree upon the |
| elementary school age students with ADHD may not | | | | ADHD symptoms of a child. A study done in 1987 |
| have symptoms of ADHD when evaluated a year | | | | reported that, "The degree of agreement between |
| later as their has been in the general community to | | | | parents and teacher for any dimension of child |
| the Duke University basketball championship. | | | | behavior is modest, often ranging between.30 and.50 |
| In the Duke University study, the researchers asked | | | | (Achenbach, McConaughy, & Howell, 1987). |
| the teachers of some ADHD students in first grade | | | | The authors of the study found clinically elevated |
| and some ADHD students in 4th grade to rate these | | | | ratings persisted for less than 50% of children and |
| students level of inattention. Twelve to fourteen | | | | between 25% and 50% had ratings that declined to |
| months later, their current teachers again evaluated | | | | within the normative range when evaluated one year |
| the students for inattention. The two teachers | | | | later by their new teachers. |
| disagreed about the severity of the inattentive | | | | My contention is that the Duke researchers would |
| ADHD symptoms about 25%-50% of the time. | | | | have seen these improved findings after 5 days or |
| One of the authors of the study, which is entitled | | | | any minimal amount of time because the teacher |
| Teacher Ratings of Children's Inattentive Symptoms: | | | | disagreement is a constant and has nothing to do |
| Implications for the Assessment of ADHD, reported | | | | with a child's improvement and more to do with they |
| that, "ADHD is generally regarded as a chronic | | | | teacher's idea of what is clinically significant ADHD |
| condition and it certainly persists over the long term | | | | inattention. |
| for many children. However, our findings highlight that | | | | The philosophical implications of these finding are |
| many children with significant attention difficulties | | | | interesting in their own right. Currently if teacher and |
| during one grade do not show these problems at | | | | parent agree that the child has ADHD symptoms that |
| school the following year, even children who have | | | | are so severe that they are impairing learning, the |
| been carefully diagnosed with ADHD. | | | | child is started on medication or on some other |
| The authors of the study reported that children | | | | ADHD treatment. |
| diagnosed in school with ADHD might improve in a | | | | If, as documented, two teachers disagree so |
| more organized classroom or in class with fewer | | | | consistently, we may want to consider a less |
| disruptive classmates. They concluded that children | | | | arbitrary method of diagnosis than what we are |
| should be evaluated yearly lest their ADHD | | | | currently using. It may make much more sense to |
| symptoms have unknowingly improved and they be | | | | rely more on less subjective ADHD tests such as |
| given medication or other remediation that is no | | | | Quotient ADHD System. This system uses a |
| longer necessary. | | | | software testing program that measures |
| I should be ecstatic about this findings but I am not. | | | | hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention and has |
| The reason is this. We know from age-old studies | | | | been shown to be less subjective than teacher and |
| that it is unlikely that any two teachers will agree on | | | | parent ratings of ADHD symptoms. |