Team DailyPedia
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder in which there is an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that hinder with the functioning or development of a child. In the U.S. alone, about 6.4 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD. This condition affects not only the child who is diagnosed but also the people around him. However, a recent study revealed that many children who have been diagnosed with ADHD are simply immature and will grow out of it.
According to Sky News, almost 400,000 children in Taiwan aged four to 17 who were believed to have ADHD changed significantly depending on their month of birth. According to the study, 2.8% of boys born in September have the condition, compared to 4.5% of those born in August. Moreover, the figure increased steadily for girls from 0.7 to 1.2%.
The authors of the study suggest that in many cases, the discrepancy may only be due to their teacher’s comparing the behavior of younger children to the older ones.
Dr. Mu-Hong Chen of the Department of Psychology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan and lead author of the study, said that these findings could be significant in the diagnosis of the disorder.
“When looking at the database as a whole, children born in August were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and/or receive ADHD medication than those born in September,” Dr. Chen said. Dr. Chen added that relative age may play a crucial role in the risk of being diagnosed and given medication to treat ADHD.
“Our findings emphasise the importance of considering the age of a child within a grade when diagnosing ADHD and prescribing medication to treat ADHD,” Dr. Chen stated.
In the U.K., about 3 to 7 % of British children (around 400,000) have been diagnosed with ADHD and given medication to improve their concentration at school.
Symptoms of ADHD appear between the ages of 3 to 6 and the average age of diagnosis is at the age of seven.
