A recent report found that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is significantly affecting children early in their school life and often before the condition has been formally identified. According to the report, negative outcomes can start showing up as early as grade two and reach into all spheres of the child’s development.
The Study
The report is based on testing of 400 Australian six to eight year olds and is part of a long-term ADHD study titled Children’s Attention Project. Researchers identified 179 of the 400 children as having symptoms of ADHD. The 212 children without ADHD served as the control group. Boys and girls appeared to be equally affected by the condition.
ADHD Plus Other Struggles
Investigators found that kids with stronger ADHD scores were struggling more socially and academically compared to their peers without the condition. One-third of children with ADHD were below average in reading and math skills. These kids were also more apt to be dealing with comorbid problems like depression, anxiety or autism – things once believed did not manifest until much later in the child’s life. Close to one-third of the children with ADHD showed evidence of two comorbid conditions. In short, these children were fighting to keep up on every developmental front, intellectual, social and emotional.
Many Struggling Children Unidentified
Perhaps as helpful was the study’s finding that 80 percent of children with ADHD symptoms had not yet been identified. In other words, a good number of children were struggling with no one realizing the battle they were waging. Experts in Australia and the U.S. agree that more work needs to be done identifying children with ADHD at earlier ages.
If you are the parent of an early grade school child who seems to be struggling, it’s important to watch for signs of ADHD. The staff at Family Guidance Center is able not only to test your child, but also to offer treatment that can help your child overcome the challenges they are facing.
