Association between childhood specific learning difficulties and school performance in adolescents with and without ADHD symptoms: a 16-year follow-up.

Objective: The authors investigated whether childhood specific learning difficulties (SLDs) predict later school performance in adolescents with ADHD symptoms (ADHDs) and how SLDs associate with educational aspirations.

Method: In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (n = 9,432), data about children were collected using questionnaires for parents and teachers at ages 7 and 8 and for parents and adolescents at ages 15/16. Information on school performance was obtained from a national register.