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Informants' ratings of activity level in infancy predict ADHD symptoms and diagnoses in childhood
Mirjam Meeuwsen1, Oliver Perra2, Stephanie H M van Goozen1
1School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
Insights
High infant activity levels at 6 months can predict attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and diagnoses later in childhood. This early indicator may help identify children at higher risk for ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Behavioral Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant activity levels are a potential early indicator of later behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Understanding early predictors of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if high infant activity levels at 6 months predict later self-regulatory problems and ADHD symptoms.
- To examine the association between infant activity and executive function in childhood.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 321 British families.
- Infant activity assessed at 6 months using Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and ActiGraphs.
- Children assessed for self-regulation, ADHD symptoms, executive function, and ADHD diagnoses at multiple time points up to age 7.
Main Results:
- High infant activity levels at 6 months predicted ADHD symptoms in early childhood and ADHD diagnoses with clinical impairment at age 7.
- Infant activity levels were associated with later self-regulation task performance.
- Infant activity is considered normal variation, not psychopathology.
Conclusions:
- High activity levels in infancy may serve as an early marker for identifying children at risk for ADHD.
- Further research into the correlates of infant activity can refine risk identification for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Abstract:
We tested the hypothesis that high activity levels in infancy would predict self-regulatory problems and later symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a longitudinal study of British families (N = 321). Infants' activity levels were assessed at 6 months, using 3 informants' reports from the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and ActiGraphs during baseline, attention, and restraint tasks. At a mean of 33 months, the children were assessed on self-regulatory tasks; at a mean of 36 months, 3 informants reported symptoms of ADHD. At a mean of 7.0 years, the children were assessed on executive function tasks; 3 informants reported on the child's symptoms of ADHD; and diagnoses of disorder were obtained using the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment. Informants' reports of high activity levels at 6 months predicted ADHD symptoms in early childhood and diagnoses of ADHD with clinical impairment at age 7. The IBQ activity scale was also associated with the children's later performance on self-regulation tasks in early and middle childhood. Activity level in infancy reflects normal variation and is not a sign of psychopathology; however, these findings suggest that further study of the correlates of high activity level in infancy may help identify those children most at risk for disorder.