ADHD Children At Risk
- 3-5 % of all children are affected by ADHD.
- more than a million children in the U.S. have ADHD.
- studies suggest that 10 million Adults are currently affected by ADHD, and only about 9% of them are treated
Age
- signs of ADHD may be apparent during the preschool years
- most families seek help when the child is in elementary school and the child’s behavior interferes with adjustment and learning.
- symptoms may worsen over time as the demands on the child increase.
- Early and mid-adolescence are particularly difficult times for children with ADHD, as it affects academic and social situations
- In some children the symptoms diminish or disappear during late adolescence.
- About 1/3 of children with this disorder may outgrow the symptoms by early adulthood
- In 2/3 of people, the disorder will be lifelong
Gender
- ADHD is 4-9 times more prevalent in boys than girls
- Symptoms of ADHD differ in boys and girls, and as we learn more, we may see the rate of ADHD in boys and girls become more equal
Family History
- ADHD is not due to poor parenting, or laziness or bad behavior on the part of the child.
- ADHD is genetic: it is 60% heritable
- A sibling of a child with ADHD has a 3-fold increased risk for ADHD
- If a child is diagnosed with ADHD, it is very likely that a parent has (diagnosed or undiagnosed) ADHD
- If a parent has ADHD, the risk that a child will have ADHD increases 17-fold
Some environmental factors are thought to increase the risk of ADHD:
- Exposure to alcohol and tobacco in utero
- exposure to lead in very early life
- complications during pregnancy and birth, including prematurity
- infections during pregnancy, at birth and in early childhood (measles, varicella, rubella, enterovirus 71, and streptococcal bacterial infection)