The incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on educational achievement of in a school in Loja, Ecuador

Chronic disorder; Hyperactivity; Neurodevelopment; Attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder evaluation scale

Abstract

The Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a chronic symptomatically evolving disorder characterized by neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, difficulty in paying attention, excessive activity, and behavior without regards to consequences, keeping in constant movement. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of the disorder and its relationship with the academic performance of children of the “18 de Noviembre” school of the city of Loja. A sample of 63 schoolchildren studying in the third and fourth years of primary education was selected, who an attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder evaluation scale was applied to. It was determined that more than 25% of children had the disorder. A survey was applied to the parents of children having the disorder in order to identify the feeding and daily activities-related factors that may be associated to the disorder. Correlation between the disorder and unbalanced diet, daily consumption of “junk food”, candies and coffee, an inadequate time for sleep and excesive hours of watching TV was found, which may increase its degree of severity. When comparing the califications of children, a likely relationship between the disorder and the academic performance was observed in almost half of the population studied, although this group has a performance of 7/10.