Kids With ADHD More At Risk When Crossing the Street

pedestrian accident, kids crossing, kids with ADHD, child accidents, child hit by carA research study at the University of Alabama (Birmingham) was performed to evaluate the ability of ADHD kids to safely cross the street. The results indicated these kids are at a higher risk of being injured in a pedestrian accident than those without the disorder.

Because ADHD kids are easily distracted and more compulsive than other children, it was anticipated that the ADHD kids would most likely fail to look left and right before crossing the street. However, the tests showed that the kids have the proper curbside behavior down, including looking both ways before leaving the curb.

The research involved a virtual environment with avatars substituting for the actual children on a computer, so the test subjects were not exposed to any real physical danger.

The end results showed it was their timing ability causing them to be at a greater risk of being hit by a car. They know the pedestrian requisite street crossing rules and appear to follow them. The problem was when, and if, the ADHD kids made it to the other side of the street, there was barely any time left to spare before the next vehicle came by. In conclusion, most ADHD children are challenged with a difficulty in determining how much time they need to safely reach the other side.

Pedestrian accidents are one of the main causes of unintentional injury among kids. Parents of ADHD children will want to spend more time helping their youngsters practice proper pedestrian safety procedures and learning to identify the dangers to look for when crossing the street. The more these at risk children practice and review the safety guidelines, the better equipped they will become at crossing safely.

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