The Australian Twin ADHD Project: Current Status and Future Directions

Bennett, Kellie; Hay, David; Piek, Jan P.; Pearsall-Jones, Jillian G.; Lévy, Florence; Martin, Neilson

doi:10.1375/twin.9.6.718

Cited by 18 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The large number of children in the ATAP, both twins and their siblings, has already been shown to be representative of children from the general population of Australian children [40]. Further, there were sufficient numbers of children across the ages of 6-18 years for this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Rasch Analysis of the SWAN Rating Scale

Young

Lévy

Martin

et al. 2009

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

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The prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been estimated at 3-7% in the population. Children with this disorder are often characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or impulsivity and hyperactivity, which can significantly impact on many aspects of their behaviour and performance. This study investigated the characteristics of the SWAN Rating Scale and its discrimination of ADHD subtypes. This instrument was developed by Swanson and his colleagues and measures attentiveness and hyperactivity on a continuum, from attention problems to positive attention skills, using a seven-point scale of behaviour: "far below average" to "far above average". The Australian Twin Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Study consists of questionnaire data collected from families in 1990/2007. The Rasch model was used to measure the characteristics of items from the SWAN Rating Scale; how well these items discriminated between those with and without ADHD. The prevalence of each subtype was found to be 5.3% for inattentive ADHD, 4.3% for hyperactive ADHD and 4.6% for combined ADHD. A total of 14.2% of the cohort appeared to have ADHD. While the inattentive items appeared to be consistent with each other in their measurement behaviour and response patterns, the hyperactive items were less consistent. Further, the combined subtype appeared to be an entirely different type, with unique features unlike the other two subtypes. Further work is needed to distinguish the diagnostic features of each subtype of ADHD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Which items are more effective and why. [39,40]. We made use of questionnaires completed by the parents of young twins, and their siblings, recruited for Wave 4 of the ATAP study [41].…”

Section: The Value Of Rasch Modelling For Psychiatrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Rasch Analysis of the SWAN Rating Scale

Young

Lévy

Martin

et al. 2009

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

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“…The recruitment procedure used by the Australian Twin ADHD Project (ATAP) is described in Levy and Hay (2001) and Bennett et al (2006). Following written consent, families were sent the Twin and Sibling Questionnaire which consisted of questions on ADHD, DCD and sad affect.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depressive Symptomatology in Child and Adolescent Twins With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Developmental Coordination Disorder

Piek¹,

et al. 2007

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Previous research has demonstrated a link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and depression. The present study utilized a monozygotic (MZ) differences design to investigate differences in depressive symptomatology between MZ twins discordant for ADHD or DCD. This extends previous research as it controls for genetic effects and shared environmental influences and enables the investigation of nonshared environmental influences. In addition, children and adolescents with comorbid ADHD and DCD were compared on their level of depressive symptomatology to those with ADHD only, DCD only, and no ADHD or DCD. The parent-rated Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior, Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, and Sad Affect Scale were used to assess ADHD, DCD, and depressive symptomatology respectively. The results revealed higher levels of depressive symptomatology in MZ twins with ADHD or DCD compared to their nonaffected co-twins. In addition, children and adolescents with comorbid ADHD and DCD demonstrated higher levels of depressive symptomatology compared to those with ADHD only, DCD only, and no ADHD or DCD. The implications of these findings are discussed with emphasis on understanding and recognizing the relationship between ADHD, DCD, and depression in the assessment and intervention for children and adolescents with these disorders.

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“…However, most of individual studies included in these meta-analyses were not performed for the purpose of investigating handedness. For example, the focus of the Australian Twin ADHD Project was behavioural disorders of childhood (Bennett et al, 2006). Therefore, ways of assessing handedness varied a lot, such as mailed questionnaires (Bennett et al, 2006;Kirk et al, 2002) or direct observation (Toh et al, 2005;Townsend, Richards, Hughes, Pinkerton, & Schwerdt, 2003).…”

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confidence: 99%

Estimation of heritability for varied indexes of handedness

Lien

Chen

Hsiao

et al. 2015

Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition

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Inconsistent results of the molecular studies for handedness have been reported. One of the key issues involved could be ways of assessing handedness. The current study aimed to identify the index of handedness better reveal the genetic component, which showed higher heritability. We measured handedness using the Annett's handedness questionnaire. The college students participating in this study filled the questionnaire in the class while their first-degree relatives returned questionnaires one to two weeks later. A total of 1,968 subjects returned their questionnaires, including 640 college students and 1,328 first-degree relatives. Among the 449 college students returning at least one handedness questionnaire for their parents, a total of 449 fathers, 440 mothers, and 425 siblings participated in the study. The index of mixed-handedness (e.g., Degree of Handedness) showed highest heritability (0.67), followed by the Hand Preference Index (0.52), and then the Direction of Handedness (0.39). Using an index of mixed-handedness for future molecular studies was suggested.

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The Australian Twin ADHD Project: Current Status and Future Directions

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Rasch Analysis of the SWAN Rating Scale

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Rasch Analysis of the SWAN Rating Scale

Depressive Symptomatology in Child and Adolescent Twins With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Developmental Coordination Disorder

Estimation of heritability for varied indexes of handedness

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