Aase, H., Meyer, A., & Sagvolden, T. (2006). Moment-to-moment dynamics of ADHD behaviour in South African children. Behavioral and Brain Function, 2, 11.
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: The behaviour of children with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by low predictability of responding. Low behavioural predictability is one way of operationalizing intra-individual ADHD-related variability. ADHD-related variability may be caused by inefficient behavioural selection mechanisms linked to reinforcement and extinction, as suggested by the recently published dynamic developmental theory (DDT) of ADHD. DDT argues that ADHD is a basic neurobehavioural disorder, caused by dysfunctioning dopamine systems. For establishing ADHD as a neurobehavioural disorder, findings from studies conducted in Western countries should be replicated in other cultural populations. The present study replicated the study conducted in Norway, with children from the Limpopo province in the Republic of South Africa.
METHODS: Boys and girls, aged 6-9 yr, from seven ethnic groups participated. Scores by teachers on the Disruptive Behavior Disorders rating scale defined participation in either ADHD-hyperactive/impulsive (-HI), ADHD-predominantly inattentive (-PI), or ADHD-combined (-C) groups. Children below the 86th percentile were matched on gender and age and comprised the non-ADHD group. The children completed a computerized game-like task where mouse clicks on one of two squares on the screen resulted in delivery of a reinforcer according to a variable interval schedule of reinforcement. Reinforcers were cartoon pictures presented on the screen together with a sound. Predictability of response location and timing were measured in terms of explained variance.
RESULTS: Overall, the results replicated findings from Norway. Specifically, the ADHD-C group showed significantly lower predictability of responding than the non-ADHD group, while the ADHD-HI and the ADHD-PI groups were in-between. In accordance with the previous study, response location, but not response timing, was a sensitive behavioural measure. There were no significant gender differences. Cartoon pictures were effective reinforcers as the non-ADHD group showed learning of the task. There was no relation between behavioural predictability and motor functions.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study makes a strong case for ADHD as a basic, neurobehavioural disorder, not a cultural phenomenon, by replicating findings from a wealthy Western country in a poor province of a developing country. The results were, generally, in line with predictions from the dynamic developmental theory of ADHD by indicating that reinforcers were less efficient in the ADHD group than in the non-ADHD group. Finally, the results substantiated ADHD-related variability as an etiologically important characteristic of ADHD behaviour.
Link.
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The Virginia Institute for Autism, the U.Va Children’s Hospital, & the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center will host a conference 20 and 21 April in Staunton (VA, US; that rhymes with “rantin’,” for those who aren’t locals). It’s got a great program about effective educational strategies, with Rich Simpson presenting the keynote. I’ll be in Portugal so I can’t attend—wish I could—but others surely should.
Links to VIA school and a KCRC tour.
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If you’re interested in a model for how to change children’s behavior in a home-like setting, there are several that have strong evidentiary bases. One of these is the the Teaching Family Project, affiliated with folks at the University of Kansas. Under the title “Family-Like Environment Better for Troubled Children and Teens,” the American Psychological Association has an appropriately lauditory review of it.
The Teaching-Family Model is one of the few evidence-based residential treatment programs for troubled children. In the past, many treatment programs viewed delinquency as an illness, and therefore placed children in institutions for medical treatment. The Teaching-Family Model, in contrast, views children’s behavior problems as stemming from their lack of essential interpersonal relationships and skills. Accordingly, the Teaching-Family Model provides children with these relationships and teaches them these skills, using empirically validated methods.
In 1970 Pat and I served as house parents for four children who had, until then, been residents of a state hospital for children with emotional, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. I read about and admired the work of the Teaching Family folks and then later, while in graduate school, watched over his shoulder as Dick Jones helped conduct an external evaluation of the T-F model. Now, I’m glad to see that the model’s still going strongly.
Link to the APA article.
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Over on Psych Central, John Grohol has an entry about accurate diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Mr. Grohol, who sometimes publishes direct copies of others’ articles but appears to have written this one himself, muses about whether ADHD is over-diagnosed, referring to a couple of news stories on the topic coming from publications in Great Britain. I recently heard a local news interview with a school psychologist who also contends that ADHD is over-diagnosed and medications over-prescribed.
Although I’m sympathetic with the argument that we need to help parents and teachers use better behavior management and instructional procedures and agree that doing so would help reduce problems commonly associated with ADHD, I’d be interested in the evidence for these claims of over-diagnosis. The trick in conducting such studies, in my view, is to know a true level of ADHD so that one can assess whether prevailing levels are too high or too low. How does one determine this standard?
Link to the entry on Psych Central. The radio interview with was on With Good Reason, but that show’s Web site does not provide a link to the audio nor a transcript.
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A blogger identifying herself as Kayla and who says she has EBD posted an entry about her woes. It’s the only entry in the blog and it seems almost patently predictable.
Blockquote>My mom is going to put me in a shelter for her not being able to deal with me and my anger. I cant help if i express my anger differently than others and i cant help that i have ebd (emotional behavior disorder).
Reading this post, I am reminded of the fictitious letters that were rumored to be sent to Dear Abby or Ann Landers. Is someone making this up? Is this actually a youth’s opinion? I guess I’ll check back now and again to see what’s new on the blog.
Link to Kayla’s entry.
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