Continuities in maternal reports and child behaviors over time in hyperactive and comparison groups

Maternal reports, observations of nursery and elementary school behavior, and teacher ratings of problems were available for hyperactive and control children who had participated in a longitudinal study. This paper examines consistencies in maternal reports and child behaviors over time, and their relationship to teacher ratings in elementary school. Maternal reports of infant sleep difficulties were related to maternal ratings of hyperactivity at 41/2 and 61/2 years. Maternal ratings of activity at 41/2 were predictive of 61/2-year ratings of hyperactivity and conduct problems. In addition, behavior in a research nursery at 41/2 predicted teacher ratings of problems and classroom behavior in grade two. Hyperactive preschoolers who left the table most during structured activities were more often out-of-seat and off-task in school. Controls who were more aggressive in the nursery were more disruptive in the classroom. These data indicate continuities in both maternal reports and child behaviors.Collection of follow-up data were supported by Grant No. MA-4505 from the Medical Research Council of Canada to Dr. Campbell and were collected when she was at McGill University and the Montreal Children's Hospital. Portions of these data were presented at the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1976.