Seventeen children (14 boys and 3 girls) with ADHD and their parents
and teachers participated in the present study. Most children not only suffered
from ADHD, but also met the criteria for other disorders. Oppositionaldefiant
disorder (n = 8), pervasive developmental disorder (n = 2), and reactive
attachment disorder (n = 2) were the most prevalent comorbid disorders.
The mean global assessment of functioning (GAF) was 55 (range
40–65). These children were consecutively referred to an outpatient treatment
centre between February and October 2003. Of course, more children
with ADHD problems were referred to the clinic during this time period.
However, only children and families who agreed to participate were included.
Further, it is obvious that ADHD children who already used medication
could not participate in this study (the overall response rate was 50%).
Mean age of the children was 8.7 years (SD = 2.6, range 6 to 16 years).
All children were Caucasian. Percentages of children with low, middle, or
high socio-economic background (classified by using the educational levels
of both parents, with the guidelines provided by the Dutch Central
Bureau of Statistics) were 64.7%, 29.4%, and 5.9%, respectively.
Three children (17.6%) came from split-up families.