A clinical study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in preschool children--prevalence and differential diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine (1) the prevalence and characteristics of ADHD in preschool children, and (2) differential diagnoses among children who display symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in early childhood.

METHODS

The participants were children living in Kanie-cho, in Japan's Aichi Prefecture, who underwent their age 5 exams at the municipal health center between April 2009 and March 2011. We first extracted children who were observed to be inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive during their age 5 exams and considered as possibly having ADHD. We conducted follow-ups with these children using post-examination consultations, visits to preschools, and group rehabilitation. The results of the age 5 exams were combined with behavior observations and interview content obtained during subsequent follow-ups. A child psychiatrist and several clinical psychologists discussed these cases and made a diagnosis in accordance with the DSM-IV-TR.

RESULTS

91 (15.6%) of the 583 children selected were considered as possibly having ADHD; we were able to conduct follow-ups with 83 of the 91 children. Follow-up results showed that 34 children (5.8% of all participants) remained eligible for a diagnosis of ADHD. Diagnoses for the remaining children included: pervasive developmental disorders (six children, or 6.6% of suspected ADHD children), intellectual comprehension problems (four children, or 4.4%), anxiety disorders (seven children, or 7.7%), problems related to abuse or neglect (four children, or 4.4%), a suspended diagnosis for one child (1.1%), and unclear diagnoses for 29 children (31.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

ADHD tendencies in preschool children vary with changing situations and development, and the present study provides prevalence estimates that should prove useful in establishing a diagnostic baseline.