ADHD Research
Kids with ADHD accurately judge others' skills but misperceive their own
by DWAYNE STEWARD
Features Writer
Perspectives
Monday May 21, 2007
Though scientists know that there is a biological basis to attention-defi cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which affects 3 to 7 percent of kids in America, other researchers continue to examine the psychological aspects of the condition in the hopes of improving behavioral treatments for these children.
Previous studies have shown that children with ADHD overestimate how well they perform certain tasks, which psychologists call the “positive illusory bias.” Nicole Evangelista, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Ohio University, decided to explore the idea further by not only examining how ADHD kids perceive themselves but also how accurately they judge the skills of other children.
The work builds on the research of her adviser, Assistant Professor of Psychology Julie Owens. Owens is the founder and director of the Youth Experiencing Success in School (Y.E.S.S.) Program, a school-based mental health program for elementary school age children and families in Athens, Gallia, and Hocking counties.
For her project, Evangelista studied children with two types of ADHD, as well as nonimpaired children. She asked the students to fill out a questionnaire about their perceptions of their own academic, social, and athletic competence. She also gave surveys to the children’s teachers and parents about the students’ academic and social performance and behavior.
“This is one of the places where we find discrepancies,” Evangelista says. “Teachers rate the student as doing poorly in school, while the student thinks he or she is doing well.”
Next she administered an achievement test on reading, math, and spelling. Students also watched a 16-part series of 30-second video clips created by Evangelista, featuring child actors who performed different academic and social tasks. The children in the study also viewed 20- to 30-second clips, and then completed a four-part questionnaire about how well the child actors performed the tasks.
Evangelista’s study provided more confirmation for the positive illusory bias, as childrenwith ADHD significantly overestimated their academic competence, while children without the disorder did not.
The project did find for the first time, however, that the ADHD children could accurately evaluate other kids’ skills, even if they couldn’t correctly judge their own. This might suggest that the positive illusory bias could be a form of self-protection for these children, Evangelista says.
The big picture, she notes, is that if children with ADHD don’t perceive their own behavior or academic difficulties accurately, behavior therapists may have a more difficult time motivating them to change.
Evangelista has presented her research at The Kansas Conference in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in New Orleans, and is preparing her thesis for publication. She hopes to secure additional grant funding to continue the research in the hopes of ultimately finding better treatment options for the many children in America diagnosed with ADHD.
by DWAYNE STEWARD
Features Writer
Perspectives
Monday May 21, 2007
Though scientists know that there is a biological basis to attention-defi cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which affects 3 to 7 percent of kids in America, other researchers continue to examine the psychological aspects of the condition in the hopes of improving behavioral treatments for these children.
Previous studies have shown that children with ADHD overestimate how well they perform certain tasks, which psychologists call the “positive illusory bias.” Nicole Evangelista, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Ohio University, decided to explore the idea further by not only examining how ADHD kids perceive themselves but also how accurately they judge the skills of other children.
The work builds on the research of her adviser, Assistant Professor of Psychology Julie Owens. Owens is the founder and director of the Youth Experiencing Success in School (Y.E.S.S.) Program, a school-based mental health program for elementary school age children and families in Athens, Gallia, and Hocking counties.
For her project, Evangelista studied children with two types of ADHD, as well as nonimpaired children. She asked the students to fill out a questionnaire about their perceptions of their own academic, social, and athletic competence. She also gave surveys to the children’s teachers and parents about the students’ academic and social performance and behavior.
“This is one of the places where we find discrepancies,” Evangelista says. “Teachers rate the student as doing poorly in school, while the student thinks he or she is doing well.”
Next she administered an achievement test on reading, math, and spelling. Students also watched a 16-part series of 30-second video clips created by Evangelista, featuring child actors who performed different academic and social tasks. The children in the study also viewed 20- to 30-second clips, and then completed a four-part questionnaire about how well the child actors performed the tasks.
Evangelista’s study provided more confirmation for the positive illusory bias, as childrenwith ADHD significantly overestimated their academic competence, while children without the disorder did not.
The project did find for the first time, however, that the ADHD children could accurately evaluate other kids’ skills, even if they couldn’t correctly judge their own. This might suggest that the positive illusory bias could be a form of self-protection for these children, Evangelista says.
The big picture, she notes, is that if children with ADHD don’t perceive their own behavior or academic difficulties accurately, behavior therapists may have a more difficult time motivating them to change.
Evangelista has presented her research at The Kansas Conference in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in New Orleans, and is preparing her thesis for publication. She hopes to secure additional grant funding to continue the research in the hopes of ultimately finding better treatment options for the many children in America diagnosed with ADHD.
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