Do ADHD Statistics Help?
I often stay away from numbers and ADHD statistics on ADHDaction.com. This because they can often be misleading. Statistics are useful for finding trends and addressing needs in large populations. They have a flaw of being sliced and diced in order to show a trend that might not actually be there. Either that or they are so confusing that you need a degree in math to understand them.
Knowing all that, there are some statistics in the United States that may give an idea of just how big ADHD is. From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website - 4.5 million children 5-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2006.
- 3%-7% of school-aged children suffer from ADHD. Some studies have estimated higher rates in community samples.17.8% of school-aged children were reported to have an ADHD diagnosis by their parent in 2003.
- Diagnosis of ADHD increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006.
- Boys (9.5%) are more likely than girls (5.9%) to have been diagnosed with ADHD.
- ADHD diagnosis is significantly higher among non-Hispanic, primarily English-speaking, and insured children.
- Prevalence rates are significantly higher for children in families in which the most highly educated adult was a high school graduate (or had completed 12 years of education), compared with children in families in which the most highly educated adult had a higher or lower level of education.
- ADHD diagnosis among males was reported significantly more often in families with incomes below the poverty threshold (<100%) than in families with incomes at or above the poverty threshold. Rates of reported diagnosis among females were not significantly different across the three levels of poverty.
Conclusion on ADHD Statistics
Lets take these number with a dose of skepticism. They are helpful in that they show where to look for ADHD problems. They fall short in revealing the cause or best treatments for ADHD. Maybe we can focus our energy on finding solutions for individuals and their families. Training the adults with ADHD parents and the children with ADHD on how to be their best. I know the tough road it take to master your ADHD I am on it and doing fine. There is plenty of room for all of us.
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