Youngest Students More Likely To Be Diagnosed With ADHD, Study Finds

This study confirms on a larger scale what other studies have shown on a smaller one. It confirms that there may be developmental confounders in the diagnosis of the condition and that the relative immaturity of young children’s brains can make those that are merely younger at school entry demonstrate behaviors consistent with ADHD.” Christakis was not involved in the research. Joel Nigg, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University, said that tracking the diagnoses through an insurance database allowed researchers to see what clinicians are doing, which can be more accurate than relying on parents’ reports about their child’s diagnosis. But it could be a weakness, he said, in that “we don’t know how the clinicians are actually doing the diagnosis, how well they are following protocols,” which could leave room for “diagnostic bias related to age.” Although it’s unlikely to lead to a big change in the results, Nigg and other researchers also noted that the study authors didn’t determine whether the children were actually enrolled in school. Even with these limitations, Nigg believes that the study is valuable when looking at ADHD diagnoses. “It’s really helpful to continue to look at the what we can call sociological drivers of diagnosis. It really helps sort out real cases, where the child actually has a problem that needs to be treated, versus sort o...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health ADHD CNN Harvard Medical School New England Journal Of Medicine Source Type: news