The Estimated Annual Cost of ADHD to the U.S. Education System

Jessica A Robb; Margaret H Sibley; William E Pelham Jr; E Michael Foster; Brooke S G Molina; Elizabeth M Gnagy; Aparajita B Kuriyan

doi:10.1007/s12310-011-9057-6

The Estimated Annual Cost of ADHD to the U.S. Education System

School Ment Health. 2011 Sep 1;3(3):169-177. doi: 10.1007/s12310-011-9057-6.

Authors

Jessica A Robb¹, Margaret H Sibley², William E Pelham Jr¹, E Michael Foster³, Brooke S G Molina⁴, Elizabeth M Gnagy¹, Aparajita B Kuriyan¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Children and Families, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
² Center for Children and Families, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL ; Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.
³ School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine and monetize the educational outcomes of students with ADHD. Data were examined from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS), a follow-up study of children diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and recontacted for follow-up in adolescence and young adulthood. A comprehensive educational history was obtained for all participants from Kindergarten through 12^th grade. Annual economic impact was derived from costs incurred through special education placement, grade retention, and disciplinary incidents. Results indicated that, as compared to students without ADHD, students with ADHD incurred a higher annual cost to the U.S. Education system. Specifically, a student with ADHD incurred an average annual incremental cost to society of $5,007, as compared to $318 for students in the comparison group. These results suggest that prevention and intervention strategies are greatly needed to offset the large financial impact of educating youth with ADHD.

Abstract

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