The effect of the relative birth date in school year on occurrence of ADHD and ADD.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are psychiatric disorders that effect many people throughout the world. They are known to detrimentally affect a persons learning ability. The purpose of this study was to discover if the relative birth date of children in the school year had an effect on the occurrence of ADHD and ADD in the children. It was hypothesized that the older children would have a lesser occurrence of ADHD and ADD due to their increased development compared to their peers. The data for this study was collected through the accommodation forms required by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 on file at Spring Valley High School while maintaining confidentiality. The data was then processed into months starting at October; due to the fact that October is the cutoff date of addition for students to get into the current school year. A Pearson Product Moment Correlation test was then preformed on the data. Results from the test show that r < t (10, 0.05) in which r = 0.430 and t (10, 0.05) = 0.576. A weak positive, but not significant, correlation was found between relative birth date of children and occurrence of ADHD and ADD.