A comparison of boys and girls with attention problems: kindergarten through second grade.

In a nonclinical sample of boys and girls, gender-based norms were used to identify children at risk for academic and behavior problems and to differentiate those with from those without attention problems. At-risk children with attention problems were rated higher on behavior problems, demonstrating significant increases in such problems from kindergarten to second grade, and scored significantly lower on simultaneous processing tasks. Both at-risk groups performed below a not-at-risk control group on reading achievement.