Attention Deficit, or Something Else?
The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has risen explosively in recent years, according to recent CDC data. In interviews of over 76,000 parents nationwide, the CDC found that ADHD diagnoses have soared by 16 percent since 2007 and 41 percent over the past decade. The disorder is now reported in an estimated 11 percent of children ages 4 to 17—and in 1 in every 5 boys by the time they reach high school. These startling figures have many experts worried, since roughly two-thirds of children who have been diagnosed are prescribed stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall. Many also wonder whether parents and schools are setting unrealistic “attention” standards for children, especially for boys.
Once considered rare, ADHD is now one of the most common behavioral disorders afflicting children. A child is diagnosed with ADHD when he or she shows difficulty paying attention, completing tasks, and controlling behavior. (Technically, the three criteria for an ADHD diagnosis are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.) The disorder, which is roughly twice as common in boys than in girls, has been on the rise in the United States well before 2007: From 1997 to 2006, it increased by an average of…