Overview

There is no longer any doubt that ADHD is a valid diagnosis that causes significant impairment for many children who receive the diagnosis and their families. On the other hand, far fewer studies have examined the validity of the specific subtypes of ADHD defined in DSM-IV.

We have received two grants from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the internal and external validity of the DSM-IV ADHD subtypes. The primary aims of these studies include the following:

1. To test if the criteria for DSM-IV ADHD are equally valid in males and females and individuals from different socioeconomic groups.

2. To identify the specific areas of neuropsychological weakness that are associated with ADHD, and to test if these neurocognitive difficulties differ among the subtypes.

3. To identify the genetic and environmental risk factors that increase risk for ADHD.

4. To test the validity of the distinction among the three DSM-IV subtypes by comparing the subtypes on measures of functional impairment, comorbidity, academic and neuropsychological functioning, and a new set of symptoms of inattention characterized by sluggish processing.

Study Personnel

Principal Investigator

Erik Willcutt, Ph.D.^1,3

 

Co-Investigators

Caryn Carlson, Ph.D.²

John C. DeFries, Ph.D.³

Andrew Smolen, Ph.D.³

 

Consultants

Stacey Duhon, Ph.D.⁴

Joel T. Nigg, Ph.D.⁶

Bruce F. Pennington, Ph.D.⁵

Krishan Saxena, Ph.D.⁴

Shelley Smith, Ph.D.⁷

 

 

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Validity of the DSM-IV ADHD subtypes

Affiliations: 1. University of Colorado Department of Psychology; 2. University of Colorado Institute for Behavioral Genetics; 3. University of Texas, Austin; 4. Grambling State University; 5. University of Denver; 6. Michigan State University;  7. University of Nebraska Medical Center.