Behavior and academic achievement in hyperactive subgroups and learning-disabled boys. A six-year follow-up
G. J. August and C. S. Holmes
Hyperactive boys with and without conduct disorder and a contrast group of
boys with specific reading disability were compared on behavior ratings and
academic achievement six years after their initial examination to clarify
the relationship between hyperactivity and learning disability. Both
hyperactive groups were rated as problematic on dimensions of overactivity,
inattention, and impulsivity. Hyperactive boys who had earlier been
undersocialized and aggressive continued to have problems with aggression,
while the "pure" hyperactive boys did not. Achievement measures showed
performance to be normal for both subgroups, and the incidence of learning
disability was only 8%. Reading-disabled youngsters, in contrast, showed
only a behavior problem with inattention, yet they all continued to exhibit
significant achievement delays. These findings suggest that, while
hyperactivity and learning disability may coexist, the incidence of such
overlap is less than previously estimated.
