Occasionally you hear questions raised about the rate of ADHD diagnosis and even comments such as “doesn’t everyone have ADHD”? Generally, this question is asked regarding children. And when you think about it, why wouldn’t we be concerned about the well-being of our children? So, what are the facts, and how should we think about ADHD?
Diagnosis: The first thing to know is how ADHD is diagnosed. Three areas of functioning are of concern. They are attention, hyperactivity, and impulse control. There only needs to be difficulty in one of these areas, but the problem needs to be at a level that causes impairment, and it needs to have begun before the age of twelve. And this is a crucial point. If the symptoms are not impairing, preventing a child from developing and being the best they can be at home and school, then there are no grounds for an ADHD diagnosis. The excited child who is occasionally rambunctious will not meet the criteria for ADHD.
Implications for not treating: On the other hand, what are the repercussions of not seeking treatment for ADHD? They are many, and they fall into two main categories. The first is the symptoms of ADHD itself. The second is the story that grows up around a person with ADHD. Both need to be understood and addressed.
Both areas will be reviewed in future articles and are only lightly touched upon here. Research conducted in elementary school classrooms indicates that while children are generally able to focus in class about 80% of the time, those with ADHD are focusing 50% of the time. One only needs to contemplate this for a short time before it becomes clear that this will lead to a child falling further and further behind. And this is where the second area of concern kicks in. How will a child (and many parents) understand what is happening? It is typical for ideas such as “I’m dumb, I can’t do school, everyone is smarter than me” to begin to take hold.
Incidence: ADHD exists in the general population of school-aged children at a rate of 5-9%. Of these children, 80% will continue to have trouble in adolescence. The difficulties experienced are significant, and if help is not provided, it will reduce life outcomes in the future. The good news is that this is a very treatable condition.
For more information about ADHD see the following links: Canadian ADD Resource Alliance (CADDRA) https://www.caddra.ca/ and Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC) https://caddac.ca/
Andy Field © February 2023.
