An investigation of adult outcome of hyperactive children in Shanghai

Approximately 1-5% of school children have been diagnosed as hyperactive but little is known about their outcome. Children diagnosed as hyperactive in 1979 were followed up for 15 years in order to evaluate their outcome. The manifestations of 197 hyperactive children and 103 normal controls were investigated through follow up with their parents, and the differences were analyzed. Subjects who were diagnosed as MBD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) in 1979 continued to reveal typical symptoms in 70% of cases and completed less than formal schooling, while only 85% could go through middle school and were less often employed in higher-level professions, and did not exhibit significantly more conduct problems as a whole group compared with normal controls. About 30% of formerly hyperactive children are able to succeed in their academic or occupational performance. However, the adult lives of the others are influenced by such a development deficit.