(NaturalPath) According to a study out of Duke University and published in School Psychology Review, children with attention problems in early childhood were 40 percent less likely to graduate from high school. The researchers examined how early childhood characteristics affect academic performance.
“There’s not a lot out there about how early attention problems affect academic outcomes over such a long time frame,” said one researcher. “This study is one of the first to focus on how attention problems as early as first grade relate to such an important educational outcome as high school graduation.”
The broad study examined early academic, attention and socioemotional skills in 386 kindergarteners and looked at how each factor contributed to academic success into young adulthood. They found that by fifth grade, children with early attention difficulties had lower grades and reading achievement scores than their peers. At that time, they experienced average reading scores at least 3 percent lower than their contemporaries’ and grades at least 8 percent lower than those of their peers. This was all after controlling for IQ, socioeconomic status and academic skills at school entry. Those lower reading scores in fifth grade contributed to reduced grades in middle school and thereby contributed to a 40 percent lower high school graduation rate.
“The children we identified as having attention difficulties were not diagnosed with ADHD, although some may have had the disorder. Our findings suggest that even more modest attention difficulties can increase the risk for negative academic outcomes,” said one researcher.
They add that researchers are learning that student success is more comprehensive than just academic skills, but also incorporates self-regulatory and attention skills. So if your child was diagnosed with an attention disorder early in life, come alongside them to help them graduate high school.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.