Hey guys! Amy focussing hard today on DNews to talk about ADHD, properly known as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity

Disorder.

ADHD is, by all accounts, on the rise. In 2011, 6.4 million schoolchildren were diagnosed

with ADHD in the United States, a 42 percent increase since 2004. But is it a true rise

or are we just so much more aware of ADHD that we’re diagnosing kids with it when,

really, they’re just super energetic?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently surveyed 2,976 families to take a

close look at how children came to be diagnosed as ADHD. And it turns out while most diagnoses

followed the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, there’s a striking number of

instances where the guidelines weren’t followed.

The AAP stipulates that information ultimately leading to an ADHD diagnosis be taken from

multiple sources in a child’s life covering a variety of settings. That means a teacher,

and a piano instructor, and a sports coach. If the piano instructor is the only one giving

evidence of poor attention, the kid might not be ADHD, he might just not want to play

music.

The CDC survey found that in 18 percent of cases, the diagnosis of ADHD was done solely

on the basis of family members' reports, which is inconsistent with AAP recommendations.

And because these diagnoses weren’t following the right methods, one out of every 10 children

was diagnosed without the use of a behavior rating scale that is supposed to be administered.

The study also shows that children are getting diagnosed at an earlier age. Roughly half

of ADHD cases are found in children age 6 or younger: 17.1 percent at age 6, 14.6 percent

at age 5, and 16 percent of cases at age 4 or younger. But aren’t kids supposed to

be energetic and excited to discover the world? What’s really the difference between being

hyper and having ADHD?

The core symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Difficulties

with concentration, mental focus, and the inhibition of impulses all impair daily functions.

In children, ADHD is typically identified when they get into a structured setting like

school, and it’s a lot more than just running around with boundless energy. A child who

becomes easily frustrated and overwhelmed, has trouble managing their emotions, and struggles

to organize, plan, pay attention, and can’t remember details is far likelier to be ADHD

than the victim of sugar cereal for breakfast.

And really, children are just more energetic than adults, something evolutionary biologist

Michael Rose from the University of California, Irvine, says is an evolutionary thing. Children

are excited to learn about the world around them, both their environments and the people

within them. Playing and running around helps a child’s brain develop. Parents, meanwhile,

stand by a guardians, making sure that developmental play doesn’t stray too close to traffic.

As children age, they start to learn about the risks this kind playful behaviour brings

with it, and slow down, not because they’re less excited, but because as they near adulthood

they gain a sense of self-preservation.

So the rise of ADHD cases could be a case of overdiagnosing excited children mixed with

parental concern. There are a lot of other things that could be affecting a child’s

manners. Trace talks about the effects of adrenaline in the body here.

We’ll have a link in the description if you’re on mobile.

So what do you guys think? Do you have trouble focussing sometimes? Let us know your experiences

in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe for more DNews every day of the

week.

So what do you guys think? Do you have trouble focussing sometimes? Let us know your experiencesin

the comments below and keep coming back to Test Tube for more DNews every day of the

week.

So what do you guys think? Do you have trouble focussing sometimes? Let us know your experiences

on the Discovery News Facebook page or on Twitter @DNews. You can also find me @astvintagespace.

Thanks for watching!