Study: Most children with ADHD lack school readiness skills

More than three-fourths of young children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not ready for school, compared to only 13% of other children, according to a new study appearing in the journal Pediatrics. Compared to peers without such symptoms, they were more than seven times as likely to lack important social and emotional skills and six times as likely to have “impaired language development,” based on tests and on parents' responses to a questionnaire. The 4- and 5-year-olds were also significantly more likely to have low assessment scores on approaches to learning — such as taking initiative, showing creativity and knowing how to self-regulate — and to be behind on physical and motor development. The children with ADHD symptoms, however, scored the same as their peers in the area of cognition and general knowledge. Lead researcher Dr. Irene Loe, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, noted that because symptoms such as being inattentive and impulsive are normal in toddlers and often continue into the preschool years, ADHD can be hard to diagnose in this age group.