Academic Performance of Children with ADHD in Ile Ife, South West, Nigeria

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder that affects attention and concentration of children. In Africa, there is a lack of information on academic performance of children with ADHD. This article aims to (1) determine the academic performance and intelligent quotient (IQ) of pupils with ADHD, (2) compare the academic performance and IQ of children with ADHD to those without ADHD, and (3) determine other factors affecting academic performance in children with ADHD. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ile Ife among pupils aged 5 to 12 years. They were screened with Disruptive Behavioral Disorder Rating Scale, IQs determined with the Draw-A-Person test (DAPT), the academic performance determined with academic performance questionnaire (APQ), and continuous assessment (CA) score for 2013/2014 session recorded. A total of 32.3% of 65 pupils with ADHD had low CA score, while 9.6% of 1,320 pupils without ADHD had low CA score. The CA score of pupils with ADHD was significantly lower (chi(2) = 36.875, p = 0.001), particularly among older children aged 9 to 12 years (chi(2) = 4.135, p = 0.042). A total of 46.2% of 65 pupils with ADHD had subnormal IQ, while 47.2% of 1,320 pupils without ADHD had subnormal IQ. There was no significant difference between the IQ of children with ADHD and their peers without ADHD (chi(2) = 0.023, p = 0.879). Children with ADHD had similar IQ as their peers without ADHD but lower CA score. The low academic performance in pupils with ADHD could be attributed to inattentiveness in the affected pupils.