A study by The Kids Research Institute Australia has found children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have significantly worse school outcomes than children without the disorder.
The Study 'Literacy and Numeracy Underachievement in Boys and Girls with ADHD', published this week in the Journal of Attention Disorders, compared de-identified population data from 6,819 children with ADHD with 14,451 children without ADHD.
Lead author and paediatrician Professor Desiree Silva said the research found both boys and girls with ADHD were significantly less likely to reach the minimum benchmark scores for numeracy, reading, spelling and writing.
"The study found 23 per cent of boys and 28 per cent of girls with ADHD had numeracy scores below the benchmark in School Year 3, compared with 11% of children without ADHD," Professor Silva said.
"Similar differences were also evident for reading, writing, and spelling through primary school."
Professor Silva said not only were children with ADHD experiencing educational disadvantage from an early age, but the level of disadvantage only increased as they got older.
"The gap just continues to get wider as children with ADHD get older," Professor Silva said. "That means we're not intervening to improve educational outcomes for these kids."
"This is incredibly concerning because we know that a child with poor educational outcomes will often go on to struggle in adult life. It can impact their ability to go on to higher education, secure a job or maintain relationships."
Professor Silva said the results showed that children with ADHD need more educational support.
"It is clear that more research is needed to ensure that children with ADHD and associated learning difficulties can receive the best evidence-based practice to improve their educational outcomes," Professor Silva said.
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