Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a shift toward resilience?

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) present a concern across clinical, academic, and social domains. However, a subset of these children does fairly well symptomatically and functionally. This article employs a resilience framework to organize the research on factors that promote favorable outcomes in ADHD. A PubMed search was conducted using key words: resilience and ADHD. Of particular interest were articles focusing on modifiable protective factors, such as parenting and pharmacotherapy. There is consensus that genetics strongly contributes to the etiology of ADHD. Parental, peer, and environmental factors may interact with genes to moderate the developmental expression of ADHD. Pharmacotherapy research reveals that medications exert positive effects of modest magnitude in academic achievement, social functioning and quality of life. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether treatment can modify developmental outcomes. Efforts to strengthen family support along with access to health and educational resources may also optimize outcomes.