Important ADHD Statistics You Should Know

For parents, suspicion or diagnosis of ADHD can be devastating and even scary. What does it mean for their child? What is treatment entail? Why their child? Is their child normal? These questions are normal and so are the fears that are often associated with the possibility of ADHD.

Many of these fears can be eased by learning about the ADHD statistics. Some of the statistics will help you better understand your child’s condition. They can help you understand just how common ADHD is in children. It can also make you aware of other concerns that you should know about ahead of time. This can help you create a plan of action to avoid certain issues that often arise in individuals with ADHD.

How Common is ADHD?

ADHD is currently one of the most diagnosed neurological disorders in children today. It is estimated by the American Psychiatric Association that somewhere between 3% and 7% of school-aged children have ADHD. However, according to parent surveys, the statistics are higher.

Community surveys from parents indicate that, as of 2007, approximately 9.5% of all school age children have been diagnosed with ADHD. This equates to 5.4 million children. Obviously, the number of diagnosed children has likely increased since this survey.

The numbers may not seem that alarming to some parents. However, when you put these numbers into perspective, it essentially equates to at least one child in every classroom in America that has ADHD. Now, the numbers seem much more alarming. However, these numbers do not mean that the child or the country is without hope.

It would also seem that boys are more prone to ADHD than girls. According to parent surveys, boys were much more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. Boys, on their own, have a 13.2% chance of being diagnosed with ADHD than girls who have only a 5.6% chance of being diagnosed. However, the lower ADHD numbers for girls may not be indicative to the number of girls that actually have ADHD. This is only the statistic for girls that are diagnosed. Studies have shown that girls are more prone to inattentiveness than hyperactivity, making diagnosis less likely in girls.

State diagnosis is varied dramatically. North Carolina topped at the highest number of children diagnosed with 15.6% of all children being diagnosed with ADHD. On the opposite end, Nevada had the lowest diagnosis rate with only 5.6% of all children in the state being diagnosed.

Medication and Treatment

While medication is the most common method for treating ADHD, there are some parents that choose to attempt natural, homeopathic, or diet changes to treat the symptoms displayed in their ADHD child. According to statistics, this accounted for 44.7% of all diagnosed cases, just under half. However, 66.3% of children diagnosed with ADHD are receiving treatment with medication. It was also found that boys were 2.8% more likely than boys to receive medication to treat their ADHD.

Medication treatment was also found to be highly variable according to state location. Arkansas reported the highest use of medication, with 6.5% of children diagnosed taking medication. California reported the lowest numbers with only 2.1% of all diagnosed children being treated with medication.

Do Children With ADHD Have a Learning Disability as Well?

One of the biggest concerns that parents express with ADHD diagnosis is the presence of a learning disability. This is a very valid concern since ADHD affects many of the aspects of learning like attention span, ability to listen to instructions, and following instructions.

The number of children who struggle with both ADHD and a learning disability can be a little alarming. Approximately 4% of all children who have ADHD also have a learning disability. However, there is substantial evidence that indicates that children with ADHD can learn when taught with multi-sensory methods, particularly those that involve activity.

ADHD and Friendships

Every parent wants their child to make and maintain friendships in their childhood years. This can be important for self-esteem and provide children with a playmate. However, parents are likely to find that a child with ADHD may struggle in building and maintaining peer relationships. According to parent surveys, children with ADHD are 3 times more likely to have problems in peer relationships and almost 10 times more likely to experience problems that interfere with the health of their friendships.

Children with ADHD can learn how to become full-functioning adults. While there may always be some differences in their ability to learn, listen, and maintain relationships, there are treatment options that can help. There are even parenting classes that can help you learn how to offer your child the best possible success for their future. Since children with ADHD learn differently, these classes can be invaluable to you and your child’s future.