Hyperactivity is typically diagnosed when children display overactivity, inappropriate inattention, and impulsivity during the school day when involved in tasks that require sustained and voluntary attention. However, distinguishing children with hyperactivity from children with other learning and behavior disorders is often difficult because of an overlap in symptom expression. Some studies have failed to find any factors associated only with the hyperactive syndrome. The present study compared the behavior of students diagnosed as hyperactive or having attention deficit disorder to students diagnosed as having learning disabilities. Symptoms associated with overactivity, inattention, and impulsivity of 19 hyperactive and 17 nonhyperactive (learning disordered) students were observed and counted using a direct diagnostic procedure following a momentary time sampling technique. Analyses revealed that differences between the groups were often qualitative rather than quantitative, and only a few symptoms distinguished one diagnosis from the other. Hyperactive students demonstrated more talking, unsystematic search, and motor impersistence than nonhyperactive students. Nonhyperactive students demonstrated more upper extremity movement and displayed more inattention when engaged in visual tasks than hyperactive students. The findings questioned the use of general categories of behavior such as overactivity to discriminate hyperactive from nonhyperactive students. Implications for diagnosis and the need for continued studies are reviewed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aman, M. (1984). Hyperactivity: Nature of the syndrome and its natural history. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 14, 39–56.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
Barkley, R. (1982). Specific guidelines for defining hyperactivity in children (attention deficit disorder). In B. Lahey & A. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 127–184. New York: Plenum Press.
4.
Beery, K. (1982). Developmental test of visual motor integration-Revised. Cleveland, OH: Modern Curriculum Press.
5.
Campbell, S. (1985). Hyperactivity in preschoolers: Correlates and prognostic implications. Clinical Psychology Review, 5, 405–428.
6.
Conger, A. (1983). A generalizability study of the Connor's Teacher Rating Scale-Revised. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 4, 1014–1031.
7.
Cruickshank, W. (1981). Concepts in learning disabilities: Selected writings (Vol 2). Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
8.
Douglas, V. (1980). Treatment and training approaches to hyperactivity: Establishing internal or external control. In C. Whalen & B. Henker (Eds.), Hyperactive children: The social ecology of identification and treatment (pp. 283–317. New York: Academic Press.
9.
Douglas, V. (1983). Attentional and cognitive problems. In M. Rutter (Ed.), Developmental neuropsychiatry (pp. 280–329. New York: Guilford Press.
10.
Douglas, V., & Peters, K. (1979). Toward a clearer definition of attention deficit or hyperactive children. In G. Hale & M. Lewis (Eds.), Attention and the development of cognitive skills (pp. 173–248. New York: Plenum Press.
11.
Dworkin, P. (1985). Attention deficit disorder (the hyperactive child). In P. Dworkin (Ed.), Learning and behavior problems in schoolchildren: Major problems in clinical pediatrics (pp. 72–87. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
12.
Edelbrock, C., Costello, A., & Kessler, M. (1984). Empirical corroboration of attention deficit disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 285–290.
13.
King, C., & Young, R. (1982). Attentional deficits with and without hyperactivity: Teacher and peer perceptions. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 483–496.
14.
Kramer, J., & Loney, J. (1982). Childhood hyperactivity and substance abuse: A review of the literature. In K. Gadow & I. Bialer (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (Vol. I). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
15.
Krupski, A. (1986). Attention problems in youngsters with learning handicaps. In J. Torgesen & B. Wong (Eds.), Psychological and educational perspectives on learning disabilities (pp. 161–192. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
16.
Lahey, B., Schaughency, B., Strauss, C., & Frame, C. (1984). Are attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity similar or dissimilar disorders?Journal of the A merican Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 302–309.
17.
Lahey, B., Stempniak, M., Robinson, E., & Tyroller, M. (1978). Hyperactivity and learning disabilities as independent dimensions of child behavior problems. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 333–340.
18.
Langhorne, J., Loney, J., Paternite, C., & Bechtoldt, J. (1976). Childhood hyperkinesis: A return to the source. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 201–209.
19.
Loney, J. (1974). The intellectual functioning of hyperactive elementary school boys: A cross sectional investigation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 44, 754–761.
20.
Loney, J. (1980). Hyperkinesis comes of age: What do we know and where should we go?American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50, 28–42.
21.
Loney, J., Langhorne, J., & Patemite, C. (1978). An empirical basis for subgrouping the hyper-kenetic/minimal brain dysfunction syndrome. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 431–441.
22.
Margalit, M. (1983). Diagnostic application of the Connor's Abbreviated Symptom questionnaire. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 12, 3555–3557.
23.
McGee, P., Williams, S., & Silva, P. (1985). Factor structure and correlates of ratings of inattention, hyperactivity, and antisocial behavior in a large sample of 9 year old children from the general population. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 480–490.
24.
McCracken, R. (1966). Standard reading inventory. Klamath Falls, OR: Klamath Printing Co.
25.
Paternite, C., Loney, J., & Langhorne, J. (1976). Relationships between symptomatology and SES related factors in hyperkinetic/MBD boys. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 46, 291–301.
26.
Rapoport, J., & Ferguson, H.B. (1981). Biological validation of the hyperkinetic syndrome. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 23, 667–682.
27.
Raven, J. (1965). Coloured progressive matrices. New York: Psychological Corp.
28.
Rosenthal, R., & Allen, T. (1978). An examination of attention, arousal, and learning dysfunctions of hyperkinetic children. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 689–715.
29.
Rubenstein, R., & Brown, R. (1984). An evaluation of the validity of the diagnostic category of attention deficit disorder. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 54, 398–414.
30.
Rutter, M. (1982). Syndromes attributed to “Minimal brain dysfunction” in childhood. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 21–33.
31.
Rutter, M. (1983). Behavioral studies: Questions and findings on the concept of a distinctive syndrome. In M. Rutter (Ed.), Developmental neuropsychiatry (pp. 259–279. New York: Guilford Press.
32.
Schachar, R., Rutter, M., & Smith, A. (1981). The characteristics of situationally and pervasively hyperactive children: Implications for syndrome definition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 375–392.
33.
Schworm, R. (1982). Visual selective attention and the learning disabled child: Implications for word recognition abilities. In W. Cruickshank & J. Lerner (Eds.), Coming of age, Vol. 3, The best of ACLD (pp. 108–126. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
34.
Schworm, R. (1982). Hyperkinesis: Myth, mystery and matter. The Journal of Special Education, 16, 130–148.
35.
Shaffer, D., & Greenhill, L. (1979). A critical note on the predictive validity of the hyperkinetic syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 20, 61–72.
36.
Sleator, E. (1982). Office diagnosis of hyperactivity by the physician. In K. Gadow & I. Bialer (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (pp. 341–364. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
37.
Sprague, R. (1983). Behavior modification and educational techniques. In M. Rutter (Ed.), Developmental neuropsychiatry (pp. 404–421. New York: Guilford Press.
38.
Sulzer-Azaroff, B., & Mayer, G. (1977). Applying behavior-analysis procedures with children and youth. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
39.
Thompson, R., Feare, J., & Elliott, S. (1983). Impulsivity: From theoretical constructs to applied interventions. The Journal of Special Education, 17, 158–169.
40.
Thorley, G. (1984). Hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood: Clinical characteristics. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 16–24.
41.
Ullmann, R., Sleator, E., & Sprague, R. (1984). A new rating scale for diagnosis and monitoring of ADD children. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 20, 160–164.
42.
Von Isser, A., Quay, H., & Love, C. (1980). Interrelationships among three measures of deviant behavior. Exeptional Children, 46, 272–276.
43.
Wechsler, D. (1945). A standardized memory scale for clinical use. Journal of Psychology, 19, 87–95.
44.
Weiss, G., & Hechtman, L. (1979). The hyperactive syndrome. Science, 205, 1348–1354.
