ADHD Affects Street Crossing Judgment

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are at increased risk of being hit by a vehicle when crossing a street, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The findings, published in Pediatrics, indicate children with ADHD don't process information as well as children who do not have ADHD and also tend to make more incorrect decisions about when to begin crossing a street.

The UAB study involved 78 children ages 7 to 10, 39 with ADHD and 39 without. The children completed 10 simulated street crossings in UAB's Youth Safety Laboratory, which houses a virtual street environment. The simulator shows a typical street scene, with vehicles approaching on monitors from both left and right. Children were asked to gauge the proper moment to safely cross the virtual street and then step off the curb, initiating the cross.

Stavrinos said children with ADHD did the right things when approaching a street — waiting to cross and looking left and right before crossing — similar to the control children. But the children with ADHD picked shorter gaps between oncoming traffic, had more "close-calls" with traffic and a shorter amount of time to spare when reaching the other end of the crosswalk.

The researchers theorized the cause may be poor executive functioning, which has previously has been identified in children with ADHD, and suggested continued practice might be valuable in teaching a child with ADHD how to recognize a safe gap in traffic.

(Source: http://www.todayinot.com/)