Preschoolers classified as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD): DSM-IV symptom endorsement pattern

In the present study, 50 preschoolers were formally and independently class ified using both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) and third edition-revised (DSM-III-R) criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The sample consisted of 2 5 preschoolers classified as having ADHD and 25 typically developing presch oolers for comparison; the sample was matched on gender, age, and socioecon omic status. All 50 preschoolers were without neurologic or neurodevelopmen tal disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, or language delay. There were four key findings: first, of the 25 preschoolers with ADHD, DSM-IV classif ication was as follows: hyperactive-impulsivity type (68%), combined type ( 28%), and inattentive type (4%). Second, the DSM-IV profiles showed that se veral symptoms were either infrequently endorsed by parents, reflecting Lim ited applicability to preschoolers with ADHD, or frequently endorsed by par ents of typically developing preschoolers, thus reducing their diagnostic v alue. Third, of the 25 preschoolers classified as having ADHD using DSM-IV criteria, 16% would not have been classified as having ADHD using the DSM-I II-R criteria. The DSM-IV criteria therefore appear to be more lenient than the DSM-III-R criteria for this age group. Fourth, two symptoms that were not included in the DSM-IV, but were part of the DSM-III-R, were found to h ave clinical value for differentiating preschoolers with ADHD from their ty pically developing peers.