Who else can have ADHD?
ADHD affects people from childhood (with some children showing symptoms as early as age 4 years) through adolescence and into adulthood. The rates of ADHD vary between children, adolescents, and adults.1,2
Information such as the number of people affected by ADHD, which individuals have ADHD, and risk factors for ADHD are aspects of the epidemiology of ADHD.
Having ADHD doesn't mean that your child can't be successful.
There are many well-known people with ADHD.
Boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as girls.1
ADHD is less likely to be noticed in girls, which may be because they tend to have symptoms related to attention rather than hyperactivity or impulsivity.3 These terms are explained in the next section.
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Data and Statistics About ADHD. 2020. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html. Accessed June 7, 2020.
- Danielson ML, Bitsko RH, Ghandour RM, et al. Prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis and associated treatment among U.S. children and adolescents, 2016. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2018;47(2):199–212. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5834391/. Accessed June 7, 2020.
- Quinn PO, Madhoo M. A review of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in women and girls: uncovering this hidden diagnosis. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2014;16(3):PCC.13r01596.
- Kessler RC, Adler L, Barkley R, et al. The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Am J Psychiatry. 2006;163(4):716-723.
- Fayyad J, Sampson NA, Hwang I, et al. The descriptive epidemiology of DSM-IV Adult ADHD in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Atten Defic Hyperact Disord. 2017;9(1):47–65.
- Goodman DW, Mitchell S, Rhodewalt L, et al. Clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in older adults: a review of the evidence and its implications for clinical care. Drugs Aging. 2016;33(1):27–36.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Teacher Roadmap. What is Epidemiology? Available at https://www.cdc.gov/careerpaths/k12teacherroadmap/epidemiology.html. Accessed June 7, 2020.