SYMPTOMS OF ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER IN AN ITALIAN SCHOOL SAMPLE - FINDINGS OF A PILOT-STUDY

Objective: The objective of this study was to complete a teacher quest ionnaire on a sample of children (N = 232) in nine fourth grade classe s in schools in two regions of central Italy to assess the frequency o f occurrence of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD) and the rates of probable cases in the sample. Method: Each ADHD symptom was rated by the teacher as either absent (0), sometimes pres ent (1) or frequently present (2). Results: Of the children 3.9% had e ight or more DSM-III-R Criterion A symptoms of ADHD scored at a ''freq uent'' level (score of 2) and were considered to be ''likely cases'' o f ADHD; an additional 6.9% did not meet this threshold but had a total score of 16 or more on the scale and were considered to be ''possible cases.'' Conclusions: The findings suggest the need for more systemat ic epidemiological investigations to evaluate the true prevalence of t he syndrome and its risk factors in the Italian population.