ADHD Boys

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Abstract

Objective: To determine if gender moderates the comorbidity rates between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Method: 200 children, 100 boys and 100 girls, with ADHD ranging from the ages of 5 to 15 completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID) to determine if they had the symptoms for ODD. Anticipated Results: Based on a meta-analysis of relevant research, it was determined that boys are diagnosed at a higher rate for ADHD and ODD than girls. However, compared with ADHD boys, ADHD girls display greater intellectual impairment, lower levels of hyperactivity, and lower rates of other externalizing behaviors. Conclusions: It can be assumed that the reason boys experience a higher diagnosis of ODD is due to externalizing symptoms that include defiant behavior, aggression, mood changes, and other negative behaviors. There needs to be …show more content…

The proposed study should show that boys will have more symptoms matching the diagnostic criteria for ODD than girls. The group of children will be geographically representative of the United States, so this study can be used to further existing research.
Limitations
The biggest limitation that will be encountered is the different ages in the children. A five-year-old can display different symptoms than a 15-year-old. ADHD shows up differently throughout a child’s life, and that can affect the diagnosis for this study. When a child is first diagnosed with ADHD, they show more hyperactivity tendencies from 6-12, then it begins to decline throughout the rest of their life (Barkley, 2006a). It is known that children with ADHD either outgrow their disorder or learn to cope with it (Mash, 2010). So having this varying degree of symptoms, it may affect the results of this study.

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