Attach 12

OMB #: 0925-NEW
Expiration Date: xx/xxxx
This survey should take approximately 17 minutes to complete

Children, their strengths and weaknesses.
Web Page 1 (Version A)
Section 1
For this section, please consider each of the following characteristics of a child. Think about children you know well.
Indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement.
Strongly
Agree
a. Creativity is something basic about a child
that he or she cannot change much.
b. Being sociable is something basic about a
child that he or she cannot change much.

Q1a-g.

c. Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong) is
something basic about a child that he or she
cannot change much.
d. Attention span is something basic about a
child that he or she cannot change much.
e. Being impulsive is something basic about
a child that he or she cannot change much.
f. Skills in communicating with others are
something basic about a child that he or she
cannot change much.
g. Being overactive is something basic about
a child that he or she cannot change much.

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

Web Page 2
Section 2:
Please indicate how much you think each factor influences the characteristics of a child listed below. By the “environment”
we mean the things like the child’s family and friends, diet, and neighborhood.
How much do you think the environment influences:
Not at all

A little

Somewhat

A lot

Not at all

A little

Somewhat

A lot

a. Creativity
b. Being sociable

Q2a-g.

c. Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong)
d. Attention span
e. Being impulsive
f. Skills in communicating with others
g. Being overactive

How much do you think genes influence:

Creativity
Q3a-g.

Being sociable
Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong)

Attention span
Being impulsive
Skills in communicating with others
Being overactive

Web Page 3
Section 3
In this section, you will be asked to consider three children. After learning a bit about each child, you will be asked to indicate
which steps, if any, you think could improve each child’s life.
Tommy
Imagine a child, Tommy, who is 6 years old. He can’t sit still or maintain his attention in the classroom for more than a few
seconds and he constantly interrupts everyone. He’s always out of his seat at school and is constantly moving around. Due
to these behaviors, Tommy is falling behind in school, he has very few friends, and his parents are struggling with him at
home.
First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree
Q4.

No help or treatment is necessary for
Tommy.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly
agree

If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers
rewarding desired behavior
d. Parents and teachers
punishing undesirable
behavior

Q5a-h.
e. Lifestyle change (e.g.
more time spent playing
outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g.
fish oil)
g. Dietary change (e.g.
decrease sugar)
h. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs

Web Page 4
Mark
Imagine a child, Mark, who is 6 years old. He is extremely bright and at the top of his class. Mark is a happy child who has
lots of friends. He complains that he’s bored at school as he finishes work very quickly and most of the day has nothing to
do.

First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree

Q6.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly
agree

No help is necessary for Mark.
If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all
a. Parents and teachers
rewarding his advanced
abilities
b. Lifestyle change (e.g.
more time spent playing
outstide.)

Q7a-g.

c. Parents and teachers
discouraging him from
complaining.
d. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs
e. Herbal Supplements (e.g.
fish oil capsules, St. John’s
wort)
f. Dietary change (e.g.
monitoring sugar in his diet)
g. Medication from a doctor
to farther boost his ability

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

Web Page 5
Peter
Imagine a child, Peter, who is 6 years old. Since infancy, Peter has had no interest in interacting, talking, or playing with
others. Peter has a very narrow range of interests, and talks incessantly about his current passion, dinosaurs. Peter is
struggling at school and has no friends due to his communication problems.
First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree

Q8.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly
agree

No help or treatment is necessary for Peter.

If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all
a. Medication from a
doctor
b. Talking therapy

Q9a-h.

c. Parents and teachers
rewarding desired
behavior
d. Parents and teachers
punishing undesirable
behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g.
joining an after school
sports team)

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

f. Herbal supplements
(e.g. fish oil capsules, St.
John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g.
monitoring sugar in his
diet)
h. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs

Web Page 6
Section 4
Think back to Tommy. He’s the child who can’t sit still, interrupts everyone and struggles to focus in school. Imagine that in
10 years, scientists discover the genes that cause these behaviors.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Tommy?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy

Q10a-h.
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior
d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Imagine now that scientists discover that Tommy’s behaviors are due to a non-genetic cause.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Tommy?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior

Q11a-h.

d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

Web Page 7
Think back to Peter. He’s the child who has no interest in interacting with others and is only interested in dinosaurs. Peter is
also struggling in school. Imagine that in 10 years, scientists discover the genes that cause these behaviors.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Peter?
Much less likely

A little less likely

A little more likely

a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior
d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior

Q12a-h.

e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Imagine now that scientists discover that Peter’s behaviors are due to a non-genetic cause.

A lot more likely

Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Peter?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior

Q13a-h.

d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Web Page 8
Section 5
This section contains questions about your family.
Q14.

Do you have children?

Yes

No

Q15.

Are they under 18?

Yes

No

Q16.

Are they over 18?

Yes

No

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

Q17.

Have you ever heard of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD)?
Know nothing about it

Q18.

Q19.

Know quite a lot about it

An expert on it

Have you ever heard of autism?

Yes

Know quite a lot about it

An expert on it

No
Know a little bit about it

How would you rate your
knowledge of autism?

Have any of your children had these problems (either diagnosed or suspected)?
Q21a-b.

No

How would you rate your
knowledge of ADHD?

Know nothing about it

Q20.

Know a little bit about it

Yes

a. ADHD

Yes

No

b. Autism

Yes

No

Children, their strengths and weaknesses.
Web Page 1 (Version B)
Section 1
For this section, please consider each of the following characteristics of a child. Think about children you know well.
Indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement.
Strongly
Agree
a. Creativity is something basic about a child
that he or she cannot change much.
b. Being sociable is something basic about a
child that he or she cannot change much.

Q1a-g.

c. Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong) is
something basic about a child that he or she
cannot change much.
d. Attention span is something basic about a
child that he or she cannot change much.
e. Being impulsive is something basic about
a child that he or she cannot change much.
f. Skills in communicating with others are
something basic about a child that he or she
cannot change much.
g. Being overactive is something basic about
a child that he or she cannot change much.

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

Web Page 2
Section 2:
Please indicate how much you think each factor influences the characteristics of a child listed below. By the “environment”
we mean the things like the child’s family and friends, diet, and neighborhood.
How much do you think the environment influences:
Not at all

A little

Somewhat

A lot

Not at all

A little

Somewhat

A lot

a. Creativity
b. Being sociable

Q2a-g.

c. Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong)
d. Attention span
e. Being impulsive
f. Skills in communicating with others
g. Being overactive

How much do you think genes influence:

Creativity
Q3a-g.

Being sociable
Moral character (e.g. knowing the
difference between right and wrong)

Attention span
Being impulsive
Skills in communicating with others
Being overactive

Web Page 3
Section 3
In this section, you will be asked to consider three children. After learning a bit about each child, you will be asked to indicate
which steps, if any, you think could improve each child’s life.
Tommy
Imagine a child, Tommy, who is 6 years old. Tommy has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). Tommy can’t sit still or maintain his attention in the classroom for more than a few seconds and he constantly
interrupts everyone. He’s always out of his seat at school and is constantly moving around. Due to these behaviors,
Tommy is falling behind in school, he has very few friends, and his parents are struggling with him at home.
First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree
Q4.

No help or treatment is necessary for
Tommy.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly
agree

If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers
rewarding desired behavior
d. Parents and teachers
punishing undesirable
behavior

Q5a-h.
e. Lifestyle change (e.g.
more time spent playing
outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g.
fish oil)
g. Dietary change (e.g.
decrease sugar)
h. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs

Web Page 4
Mark
Imagine a child, Mark, who is 6 years old. He is extremely bright and at the top of his class. Mark is a happy child who has
lots of friends. He complains that he’s bored at school as he finishes work very quickly and most of the day has nothing to
do.

First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree

Q6.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly agree

No help or treatment is necessary for Mark.
If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all
a. Parents and teachers
rewarding his advanced
abilities
b. Lifestyle change (e.g.
more time spent playing
outside)

Q7a-g.

c. Parents and teachers
discouraging him from
complaining
d. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs
e. Herbal supplements (e.g.
fish oil capsules, St. John’s
wort)
f. Dietary change (e.g.
monitoring sugar in his diet)
g. Medication from a doctor
to farther boost his ability

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

Web Page 5
Peter
Imagine a child, Peter, who is 6 years old. Peter has been diagnosed as having autism. Since infancy, Peter has had no
interest in interacting, talking, or playing with others. Peter has a very narrow range of interests, and talks incessantly about
his current passion, dinosaurs. Peter is struggling at school and has no friends due to his communication problems.
First of all, please indicate how much you agree with the following statement:
Strongly
disagree

Q8.

Somewhat
disagree

Somewhat
agree

Strongly
agree

No help or treatment is necessary for Peter.

If you feel he might benefit from some help, what sort?
Wouldn’t help at all
a. Medication from a
doctor
b. Talking therapy

Q9a-h.

c. Parents and teachers
rewarding desired
behavior
d. Parents and teachers
punishing undesirable
behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g.
joining an after school
sports team)

Would help a little

Would help somewhat

Would help a lot

f. Herbal supplements
(e.g. fish oil capsules, St.
John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g.
monitoring sugar in his
diet)
h. A school environment
more responsive to his
needs

Web Page 6
Section 4
Think back to Tommy. He’s the child with ADHD who can’t sit still, interrupts everyone and struggles to focus in school.
Imagine that in 10 years, scientists discover the genes that cause these behaviors.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Tommy?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy

Q10a-h.
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior
d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Imagine now that scientists discover that Tommy’s behaviors are due to a non-genetic cause.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Tommy?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior

Q11a-h.

d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

Web Page 7
Think back to Peter. He’s the child with autism who has no interest in interacting with others and is only interested in
dinosaurs. Peter is also struggling in school. Imagine that in 10 years, scientists discover the genes that cause these
behaviors.
Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Peter?
Much less likely

A little less likely

A little more likely

a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior
d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior

Q12a-h.

e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Imagine now that scientists discover that Peter’s behaviors are due to a non-genetic cause.

A lot more likely

Would this discovery make you more or less likely to do each of the following to help Peter?
Much less likely
a. Medication from a doctor
b. Talking therapy
c. Parents and teachers rewarding
desired behavior

Q13a-h.

d. Parents and teacher punishing
undesirable behavior
e. Lifestyle change (e.g. more time
spent playing outside.)
f. Herbal supplements (e.g. fish oil
capsules, St. John’s wort)
g. Dietary change (e.g. monitoring
sugar in his diet)
h. A school environment more
responsive to his needs

Web Page 8
Section 5
This section contains questions about your family.
Q14.

Do you have children?

Yes

No

Q15.

Are they under 18?

Yes

No

Q16.

Are they over 18?

Yes

No

A little less likely

A little more likely

A lot more likely

Q17.

Have you ever heard of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD)?
Know nothing about it

Q18.

Q19.

Know quite a lot about it

An expert on it

Have you ever heard of autism?

Yes

Know quite a lot about it

An expert on it

No
Know a little bit about it

How would you rate your
knowledge of autism?

Have any of your children had these problems (either diagnosed or suspected)?
Q21a-b.

No

How would you rate your
knowledge of ADHD?

Know nothing about it

Q20.

Know a little bit about it

Yes

a. ADHD

Yes

No

b. Autism

Yes

No