FAQs

•  A neurobehavioral disorder characterized by pervasive inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity and results in significant functional impairment
• In Canada, Scahill and Schwab-Stone (2000) reported an estimated ADHD prevalence rate of 5-10% in school-aged children. 
• In recent years, it has become one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in children (Center for Disease Control, 2005).
• Three presentations of the disorder are described, dividing symptoms into classifications of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or a combination of the two (APA, 2013).

ADHD is believed to result from a deficit in executive functioning.  Executive functioning describes a set of processes that act as the "manager" of the brain, helping us to self-regulate our behaviour, "stop and think", plan, and sustain attention.  When these processes are underdeveloped, children tend to behave impulsively and are easily distracted, leading to challenges in meeting many daily age-appropriate expectations such as social interactions, academic tasks, and classroom behaviour.

Yes! We are also looking for children without ADHD to participate, to help us in making comparisons and identifying unique qualities of children with and without ADHD.  Please contact us to see if you are eligible.

Yes! We are looking for children with and without ADHD to participate in our research. If you are looking to have your child assessed, please speak to your family physician or pediatrician for more information or contact a psychological assessment clinic for a comprehensive assessment.

Yes! We are interested in the different strengths and needs of children with all three presentations of ADHD. You may be asked to indicate the type of ADHD your child has.  However, if you do not unsure of this, please do not hesitate to contact us, as we recognize that this information is not always provided.

Possibly - please check with us to determine your eligibility!  As many children with ADHD also have other mental health or learning diagnoses (e.g., Learning Disability, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety), we can best understand this population by including children with these types of identifications.  

However, there are some other diagnoses that we are not able to include in our studies (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, Tourette's Disorder, Epilespy).  These disorders overlap neurologically with ADHD in a number of ways and we want to ensure that we are able to examine the abilities of children with ADHD and not those with these similar neurological conditions.  If your child has an ASD diagnosis, please check out the research lab of one of our other faculty members - Dr. Adam McCrimmon - as he is always looking for families with children on the Autism Spectrum.  His lab website is www.ucalgary.ca/asert

Send us an email and we will be in touch to move forward. The first thing we will do is speak with you briefly to make sure that you are eligible to participate and give you some more information about the study of interest. From there, we will schedule visit times that are convenient for you. When you arrive at your first visit (virtually or in-person) we will review a consent form with you that outlines all of the specifics of the study.

Your child will be engaged directly with the researcher in completing activities designed to evaluate their abilities and identify strengths. Some of these activities will involve “direct assessment”, where you child is working with materials to solve problems or answer questions. Other activities will involve answering questionnaires about themselves. While this is occuring, you will also be asked to complete several questionnaires to provide information about your child and family. As well, we will have your child’s current or previous teacher complete a few brief questionnaires to help us learn about your child in the school setting.

You will be greeted by a Masters or Phd-level student researcher, who will be working with you and your child throughout your visits. All students have been trained in working with children and completing all the measures being used in this study.

Just bring yourselves! If in-person, we will provide refreshments for you and your child during these visits. If your child wears glasses, please bring these as well to ensure their best performance on tasks. More likely, if the meeting is virtual, please provide a quiet, private room for your child, with a working computer set up. Please also ensure they are comfortable, however snack/rest breaks are welcome!

As this is considered research and not assessment, we cannot provide you with specific information or results based on the tasks you or your child complete. However, we may be able to provide you with the general findings following the completion of the study.

No. All information you provide is confidential and will not be seen by anyone other than the researchers. When we present findings of this study, everything will be presented anonymously. We are primarily interested in findings across the children we work with, and will not report individual findings from any one child or family.

We encourage families to continue with their regular medication usage while participating in our research. If your child would usually take medication on the day of your participating, then please continue to do so.