A new report says that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD cases are on the rise and they found out that many children are being diagnosed before they are 6 years old. Despite the presence of a few valid tests to support the diagnoses, there rates of new cases are still on the rise.
However, there is much concern on the possible misdiagnosis especially in children at a very young age especially that the symptoms may change when they grow older. ADHD is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, all of which can impact a child's ability to learn.
However, the researchers pointed out that their data shows that there is a promising trend on how these children are being diagnosed, reports Tech Times. Reports show that around 11% of children aged 4 to 7 years old have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011, that is around 6.4 million children.
Dr. Susanna Visser, lead author of the report and an epidemiologist with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC told CNN, "Since many of the hallmark traits of ADHD can resemble typical behavior from a young child, it's important for the disorder to be properly recognized, diagnosed and treated to determine when that line is crossed."
She added, "But these findings give us really good information that physicians are largely using recommend practices for diagnosing children across the board."
Based on a report from the National Centers for Health Statistics, in diagnosing a child with ADHD, several inputs are taken into consideration including evaluation from people close to the child such his or her parents or relatives. However, most diagnoses are coming from their primary doctor or pediatrician.
In the study, the researchers from the U.S. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities were able to interview around 3,000 parents of children who were diagnosed with ADHD. Nearly half of them were diagnosed before they turned seven and more than a third diagnosed before they were six years old.
"In general, once the symptoms start to cause impairment, the child and family can benefit from treatment. For kids under 6, behavior therapy can benefit," explained lead author Susanna Visser.
