ADHD Rates Rising Among Older Children

More and more older children are being diagnosed with ADHD, while rates are holding steady for children 12 and under, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study found that ADHD diagnoses among children 12 to 17 years of age increased by an average of 4 percent a year from 1997 to 2006. No significant change was found in the percentage of children age 6 to 11 with ADHD over the same time period.

Findings indicate that nearly 5 percent of children age 6 to 17 have ADHD. Boys were more than twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed, confirming findings from other studies. Hispanic children were less likely than non-Hispanic black or white children to have ADHD.

The statistics used for this report were gathered from the 2004, 2005, and 2006 National Health Interview Survey which included data from 23,000 children age 6 to 17.

As of 2006, it was estimated that 4.5 million school-aged children (5–17 years of age) have been diagnosed with ADHD.

The researchers did not indicate why older children were being diagnosed at an increased rate, but suggested it may be that older children had more chances of being evaluated and diagnosed as compared to younger children. It is also possible that the increase may reflect that doctors are increasingly considering the possibility of ADHD in older kids who have concentration problems and a greater understanding that a child, especially an older one, can have ADHD without being disruptive and hyperactive.

The CDC report

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