| IntroductionIt is estimated that between 1% and | | | | career prospects. Although they may be intelligent |
| 6% of the adult population has AD/HD. (Wender) | | | | and enthusiastic workers, they often have |
| Forty percent of children who have AD/HD have | | | | difficulties keeping a job. (Pary) Social skills deficits |
| at least one parent who also meets the criteria | | | | are common among this population. AD/HD can |
| for diagnosis. (Zeigler) AD/HD affects up to 7.5% | | | | interfere with the ability to establish and maintain |
| of school-aged children, or between one to three | | | | close relationships and may contribute to an |
| students in every classroom. (Barbaresi, et al) For | | | | unstable home environment.Parents of a child who |
| various reasons, AD/HD in adults often goes | | | | has AD/HD are three times as likely to separate |
| undiagnosed. Thus, these parents are trying to | | | | or divorce as parents of non-AD/HD children. |
| carry out adult responsibilities without the benefit | | | | (Barkley 1995) Simply put, the parent may not |
| of appropriate treatment for their own AD/HD. | | | | have the emotional tools needed to effectively |
| Undiagnosed AD/HD in parents affects the entire | | | | support the special needs of the AD/HD child. |
| family. These adults typically exhibit emotional | | | | Parents who do not have AD/HD report that |
| labiality and tend to have higher rates of | | | | these children are often far more challenging to |
| depression, substance abuse disorders, and other | | | | parent than their non-AD/HD siblings. The adult |
| co-morbidities.Adults with AD/HD are less likely to | | | | with AD/HD faces the already formidable task of |
| graduate from college and even less likely to | | | | raising a difficult child while at the same time |
| obtain advanced educational degrees. Like most | | | | trying to cope as best they can with their own |
| adults with AD/HD, these parents face uncertain | | | | AD/HD. |