Children with developmental disabilities, especially with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, become distracted easily and may be more likely to be hit by a car while walking.
Researchers determined that children with ADHD appear to follow appropriate curbside behavior (wait before crossing, look left and right), but ultimately do not process the information necessary to safely cross the street compared with normally developing children.
Children with ADHD chose smaller gaps in traffic to cross within and had considerably less time to reach the end of the crosswalk before the next car approached, resulting in a more dangerous crossing environment.
Study authors suggest that pediatricians can help prevent these pedestrian injuries by screening for ADHD symptoms and monitoring at-risk patients to reduce injury risk.
More information: American Academy of Pediatrics
