Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorders

Abstract

<P>Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobiological disorder that primary care pediatricians address in their practices. ADHD has a prevalence rate in American youths that ranges from 4% to 12%, depending on the sampling design and restrictiveness of the definition of ADHD used. The impact of ADHD can include academic failure, delinquency, and low occupational performance. There is evidence to support at least the short-term efficacy of medication and behavioral therapy for children with ADHD. However, there is less evidence for long-term benefits.</P><H4>ABOUT THE GUEST EDITOR</H4><P>Mark L. Wolraich, MD, is the CMRI/Shaun Walters Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Section of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center and the Child Study Center. He received his MD from SUNY Syracuse Health Sciences Center. His residency training in pediatrics was split between the SUNY Syracuse Health Sciences Center and the University of Oklahoma, followed by a fellowship in the care of handicapped children at the University of Oregon. Dr. Wolraich was a pediatric faculty member at the University of Iowa for 14 years and at Vanderbilt University for 11 years, where he was Director of the Division of Child Development and the Director of the Child Development Center.</P><P>His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and Mental Health, Maternal and Child Health Research Program, National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation.</P><P>Dr. Wolraich has been active nationally in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), where he participated on the Committee on Quality Improvement-Subcommittee on Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He currently serves on the AAP’s ADHD Advisory Committee, served on the Executive Committees of the Sections on Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and the Children with Disabilities, and chaired the Task Force on Coding Mental Health in Children, the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health and the Child, and the Child and Adolescent Health Action Group. Currently, he chairs the AAP’s Committee Forum Management Committee. Dr. Wolraich is a member and past president of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. He contibuted to obtaining board certification for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and served on the Subboard of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics of the Board of Pediatrics. He currently serves on the Program for Maintenance of Certification in Pediatric Specialties-Advisory Committee of the Board.</P><P>Dr. Wolraich was the co-editor of <cite>Advances in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics</cite> (1982-1992). He has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters, including articles in the <cite>New England Journal of Medicine</cite>, <cite>Pediatrics</cite>, and the <cite>Journal of the American Medical Association</cite>. He has edited a number of books including a textbook: <cite>Disorders in Development and Learning</cite> for its third edition, the <cite>DSM-PC Child and Adolescent Version</cite>, and co-edited <cite>Behavioral Pediatrics</cite>. Most recently, he is the senior editor for a textbook titled <cite>Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics: Evidence and Practice</cite>.</P>