Hyperactives as young adults: past and current substance abuse and antisocial behavior.

In a ten-year prospective follow-up study, young adults who had been diagnosed as hyperactive in childhood were found to have had greater involvement with alcohol and drug use and with courts and police than did matched controls during the five years preceding evaluation. However, differences between groups were generally not significant in the year prior to evaluation, and tests indicate that they had attained similar levels of moral development. Results suggest a more encouraging adult outcome than has previously been expected for hyperactive children.