Statistics on ADHD

3%-7% of school-age children are thought to meet DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD (APA, 2000).

There appears to be concurrence in the literature that ADHD is more common in boys than in girls. The DSM-IV-TR gives a range of a 2:1 to 9:1, male to female, indicating that this varies by subtype and setting (APA, 2000).

One study found that 61% of children diagnosed with ADHD, also qualified for a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder and 35% also qualified for an anxiety disorder (Hoza et al., 2005).

More than half of the children in this study diagnosed with ADHD, had no close mutual friendships with classmates, compared to 32% of children not diagnosed with ADHD (Hoza et al., 2005).

52% of ADHD children fell in a "rejected status" category and were specifically rejected by their peers in surveys (Hoza et al., 2005).

There is high correlation (.76) among children with ADHD and their first degree relatives.  Meaning children with ADHD are very likely to have an immediate family member also meeting criteria for the disorder (Faraone, Perlis, Doyle et al., 2005).

Barkley (1990) reported that 70%-80% of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to meet criteria into adolescence.

Research agrees that most children with ADHD experience social difficulties: including struggles with peer relationships, dysfunctional thinking, poor emotional regulation, less satisfying and less mutual friendships, peer rejection, deficits in conversational abilities (Barkley, 1997; DuPaul & Weyandt, 2006; Guevremont & Dumas, 1994; Hoza et al., 2005; London, Downey, Bonica, Paltin, 2007)

Guevremont and Dumas (1994) found that boys who were given a structured environment in which to interact with a playmate had significantly more positive social interactions, than boys not provided with structure. Their study indicates that structure, such as specific activities, adult supervision, specific rewards, specific expectations for time, behavior, and location boundaries, are imperative to the social success of boys with  ADHD.