Despite significant functional problems in multiple domains, children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) unexpectedly provide extremely positive reports of their own competence in comparison to other criteria reflecting actual competence. This counterintuitive phenomenon is known as the positive illusory bias (PIB). This article provides a comprehensive and critical review of the literature examining the self-perceptions of children with ADHD and the PIB. Specifically, we analyze methodological and statistical challenges associated with the investigation of the phenomenon, the theoretical basis for the PIB, and the effects of sample heterogeneity on self-perception patterns. We conclude by discussing the implications of this work and providing recommendations for advancing research in this area.

This study examined whether children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate positive illusory perceptions of their own competence and others' competence. Participants (67 children with ADHD symptoms; 40 non-ADHD children) completed the Self-Perception Profile for Children and rated actors' competence in videos clips where inconsistent cues of performance had to be integrated in order to determine the actor's competence. Teachers completed the Teacher Rating Scale of Child's Actual Behavior. Children with ADHD symptoms overestimated their own competence relative to teachers' estimates in all domains significantly more than non-ADHD children. There were no significant group differences in perceptions of others' competence. Findings suggest that positive illusions are exclusive to perceptions of self and do not extend to perceptions of others.

This study examined the relation between clinically significant (CS) change in symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and reliable change in multiple domains of functioning in children who participated in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. Children with CS change in symptoms were significantly more likely than children without CS change to have reliable change across five domains of functioning. Interestingly, however, depending on the measure of functioning, 14 to 52% of children who did not achieve CS change in symptoms showed reliable improvement in functional domains. The results have implications for the definition and measurement of CS change in child treatment-outcome studies.

Reflectivity has been described as the cyclical process whereby individuals engage in a critical evaluation of their affective, cognitive, and behavioral experiences to produce insight and fundamental shifts in their original beliefs. Developing reflectivity in supervisees is one of the most challenging, yet important, responsibilities of clinical supervisors, given its link to such skills as critical thinking, ethical decision making, and problem solving. This paper advances the literature by presenting a case example that demonstrates how reflectivity can be emphasized in clinical supervision, highlighting the barriers to reflectivity, and providing strategies that supervisors can utilize to encourage reflectivity within clinical supervision. The strategies and information discussed may be flexibly applied to supervisees of all developmental levels within the context of individual supervision.

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