New Report from CDC: Almost 10% of Children Have ADHD

There’s a new report from the CDC  of a significant increase in the percentage of children who are, or who have ever been, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  They now estimate that 9.5% of youth either are diagnosed with ADHD or have been at some point.

Some of the other significant findings are that of those with current ADHD, nearly half (46.7%) have mild ADHD, with the remainder having moderate (39.5%) or severe (13.8%) ADHD. Not surprisingly, ADHD continues to be diagnosed more than twice as often among boys as girls (13.2% versus 5.6%). Among children with current ADHD, 66.3% were taking medication for the disorder.

The biggest increases in diagnosed cases were for older teens, multiracial and Hispanic children, and children with a primary language other than English.

The study is creating quite a buzz, and you can read their report here (see pp.  1439-1443 for the study).

For other articles and resources on ADHD, see the ADHD section of this web site.