Diagnostic status and symptomatic behavior of hard-to-manage preschool children in middle childhood and early adolescence

Followed 2 cohorts of hard-to-manage preschool children and comparison chil dren without early problems to middle childhood and early adolescence. Chil dren with early problems, especially problems that were still evident at sc hool entry, were more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for an externalizi ng diagnosis at follow-up. Hard-to-manage children in Cohort 1 with problem s that persisted from ages 3 through 9 years were much mote likely to meet diagnostic criteria at age 13 than children whose early problems were less stable in elementary school. Similarly, hard-to-manage boys in Cohort 2 who se problems persisted at age 6 were more likely to meet criteria for an ext ernalizing diagnosis at age 9 than hard-to-manage boys whose problems appea red less stable at age 6, Across cohorts, children with persistent problems had higher levels of symptoms and more varied symptoms at ages 3 and 4 and over the course of development.