Challenging behaviour or untreated ADHD?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the possible basis of challenging behaviour (CB) can lie in a treatable neurodevelopmental disorder.

Design/methodology/approach

Two case studies were used to illustrate the clinical characteristics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presenting as CB in people with intellectual disability (ID).

Findings

The findings of this paper show that the appropriate use of drug therapy for ADHD effectively reduced the behavioural challenges.

Research limitations/implications

Limited by two cases. Application of the findings of this paper is limited given it is a case study. This paper highlights an important clinical implications which need to be studied in a larger scale to make clinical recommendations.

Practical implications

Findings from the two case studies may be used when making decisions in clinical practice.

Originality/value

The paper explores the possibility of ADHD presenting as CB in people with ID.

Citation

Korb, L., Perera, B. and Courtenay, K. (2019), "Challenging behaviour or untreated ADHD?", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 13 No. 3/4, pp. 152-157. https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-12-2018-0053