Predictors of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool Children

描述(申请人提供)：这项纵向研究基于这样一种假设，即患有AD/HD的儿童是神经学上的弱势群体，但父母的特征会影响症状的表现和严重程度。因此，通过学龄前儿童的神经心理测试评估的神经脆弱性的证据可能特别有助于区分哪些“高危”儿童会和哪些不会继续发展成AD/HD。此外，通过评估学龄前儿童的育儿技能质量，我们假设将会有一种交互作用，即神经心理缺陷和消极的父母养育特征的组合将预示着高危学龄前儿童在学龄期的不良后果。 主要目的是确定神经心理和父母因素是否单独或结合在一起，区分注意力不集中/多动的学龄前儿童是否患有AD/HD。其目标是招募和跟踪3到4岁的“危险”儿童的大样本，并对那些行为、神经心理和育儿数据收集到基线的儿童进行控制。随后，每六个月收集一次行为评分，每年进行更深入的临床、神经心理和育儿评估。这项研究的主要依赖测量将在儿童六岁时收集。此外，第二个目的是检查遗传状态在多大程度上对ADHD的出现具有预测有效性，以及在AD/HD的出现中，遗传状态与神经心理学研究结果和父母因素相互作用的程度。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This longitudinal study is based upon the hypothesis that children with AD/HD represent a neurologically vulnerable group, but that the quality of parenting characteristics affects the manifestation and severity of symptoms. As such, evidence of neurological vulnerability, as assessed by neuropsychological tests in preschool children may be particularly useful for distinguishing between those "at risk" children who do and do not go on to develop AD/HD. Further, by assessing the quality of parenting skills during the preschool age, we hypothesize that there will be an interaction such that the combination of neuropsychological deficits and negative parenting characteristics will portend adverse outcome during the school-age years for at risk preschool children. The primary aim is to determine whether neuropsychological and parenting factors, independently and in combination, distinguish between inattentive/hyperactive preschool children who do and do not develop AD/HD. The goal is to recruit and follow a large sample of 3 and 4 year-old "at risk" and control children for whom behavioral, neuropsychological and parenting data are collected at baseline. Subsequently, behavioral ratings will be gathered every six months, and more in-depth clinical, neuropsychological and parenting assessments will be conducted annually. The primary dependent measures for this study will be collected when the children are six years-old. In addition, a secondary aim is to examine the extent to which genetic status has predictive validity for the emergence of ADHD, and the degree to which genetic status relates to neuropsychological findings and interacts with parenting factors in the emergence of AD/HD.