Younger kindergarteners more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD

In a class of kindergarteners, a child born in August is about 30% more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 25% more likely to be treated for it, than a child born in September — if you have to be 5 years old by September 1st to start kindergarten. These were the findings of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They didn’t find such a difference between any two other months — and in schools that didn’t have a September 1 cutoff for entry, the difference between August and September disappeared. It’s not a Leo versus Virgo thing: it’s age. In schools with a September 1 cutoff, children born in August are a full year younger than children born in September. For children who are only 5, a year is a lot, especially when it comes to maturity, and the ability to stay focused and engaged on academic subjects. While some children might be naturally more mature than others, a child who is turning 6 is likely going to be able to sit still and focus more than a child who just turned 5. But that doesn’t mean that the 5-year-old has ADHD; it means that the 5-year-old is acting normally for his or her age. And that’s what is worrisome about the study: it suggests that at least in some cases, teachers and doctors are mistaking normal behavior for a problem. Even worse, some children are getting medications that they really don’t need — or they wouldn’t need, if they were just a little bit older or the cl...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Behavioral Health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs