Study – ADHD Hugely Misdiagnosed, Many Children Are Just Immature

Study – ADHD Hugely Misdiagnosed, Many Children Are Just Immature

Many Children are being misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and they could just be immature, according to a new study published in the Journal of Paediatrics.

About 3 – 7% of children in Britain are believed to have ADHD, with many of them being prescribed drugs to try and improve their concentration at school.

ADHD is a behavioral disorder with symptoms including a poor attention span, impulsivity, and restlessness.

Some neuroscientists believe the condition does not exist at all and argue that most people will display some, or all of the signs during their lifetime.

Prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin have doubled to 922,000 a year in the last decade for children diagnosed with ADHD but such medications can cause adverse reactions such as weight loss, liver toxicity, and suicidal thoughts, and in the short term may suppress pubertal growth.

Now a study of nearly 400,000 children between four and 17 years old in Taiwan has shown that the percentage of youngsters diagnosed with ADHD significantly changes depending on month of birth. Where just 2.8 per cent of boys born in September have the condition, the figure jumps to 4.5 per cent in August, rising steadily over the school year. For girls it rose from 0.7 to 1.2 per cent.

They authors say that many cases may be caused by teachers comparing the behaviour of more mature children to those of youngsters who are up to a year younger.

“Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder. ADHD begins in childhood and manifests as an inability to marshal and sustain attention and modulate activity level and impulsive actions,” said lead author Dr Mu-Hong Chen, of the Department of Psychology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.

“When looking at the database as a whole, children born in August were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and/or receive ADHD medication than those born in September.

“Relative age, as an indicator of neurocognitive maturity, may play a crucial role in the risk of being diagnosed with ADHD and receiving ADHD medication among children and adolescents.

“Our findings emphasize the importance of considering the age of a child within a grade when diagnosing ADHD and prescribing medication to treat ADHD.”

A recent survey of Cambridge University students revealed that one in ten has taken drugs such as Ritalin

The NHS describes the disorder as being ‘a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness’.

Common symptoms include a short attention span, restlessness or constant fidgeting and being easily distracted, the health service says.

Many people with ADHD also have learning difficulties and other problems such as sleep disorders. The condition is normally diagnosed between the ages of three to seven.

However some neuroscientists believe the condition does not exist at all arguing that most people will display some, or all of the sighs during their lifetime.

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With certain diseases the symptoms appear not in the patient, but in other people...like doctors or parents.  ADHD is a classic one.

You've got some overactive kids, parents get tired, doctors try to treat parents by giving the kid Ritalin.  Who knows...the kid might be a developing Einstein or Wernher von Braun, but mom needs the relief.  End of...

Do you think it doesn't exist at all Quill, or is just over and misdiagnosed?

The NHS describes the disorder as being ‘a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness’.

Common symptoms include a short attention span, restlessness or constant fidgeting and being easily distracted, the health service says.



Sounds like how all younger children behave much of the time...!!!

The littul bleeduz have shite parents who could not raise a duck, nowt wrong with the kidz a good swot around the ear would not put right.
Parentz use it as a excuse to get extra benefit money.

Stormee wrote:The littul bleeduz have shite parents who could not raise a duck, nowt wrong with the kidz a good swot around the ear would not put right.
Parentz use it as a excuse to get extra benefit money.

Yeah, beat your kids. We see what that did for you.

eddie wrote:Do you think it doesn't exist at all Quill, or is just over and misdiagnosed?

Just my opinion, I have found children that were over active were being affected by additives. Others who avoided these foods, sweets and drinks, were found in time to be just very intelligent and not stimulated in the way they needed to be.

I think modern society has been accidentally set up to give us all ADHD. Too many sources of information/entertainment, too much work to do, not nearly enough down time spent away from screens.

Storm you sound like an idiot sometimes.

I think Autism really exists, but ADHD..? Jury's out.

The trouble with ADHD is that it comes under autism's umbrella along with dyspraxia, aspergers (a rainbow of variations with that one) and other similar "symptomic special needs".

I'm inclined to think along the lines of Ben and Tommy, that children are over diagnosed and over-fed on stimuli.

The op also says that between ages of 3-7 is where this 'behaviour' is seen most...


I would say the behaviour is to be expected from younger children of that age!!!



Since when has it ever been the norm for kids of that age to sit down and listen and do as they're told and be quiet for any length of time over a couple of minutes or so...!?

Tommy Monk wrote:

The op also says that between ages of 3-7 is where this 'behaviour' is seen most...


I would say the behaviour is to be expected from younger children of that age!!!



Since when has it ever been the norm for kids of that age to sit down and listen and do as they're told and be quiet for any length of time over a couple of minutes or so...!?

Good point -- children are, by definition, immature

Tommy Monk wrote:

The op also says that between ages of 3-7 is where this 'behaviour' is seen most...


I would say the behaviour is to be expected from younger children of that age!!!



Since when has it ever been the norm for kids of that age to sit down and listen and do as they're told and be quiet for any length of time over a couple of minutes or so...!?

Becasue up until the age of about three, many of the signs aren't recognisable enough in ADHD, or I should say they don't show up visibly enough.
It shows itself most in social situations and group activities which don't happen until nursery or pre-school.

I've worked in educational settings where I've been asked about certain children, are they simply naughty or over-stimulated or is it something more. Autism is much easier to spot, in many ways autism shows itself much earlier than the age of three but you still can't get your child assessed until then.
There are many tests a child has to go through befroe being statemented.

yeah, my mum that is a special education teacher has been saying it is over diagnosed for decades.

I tend to agree, they are going the kids not perfect put him on drugs way too often.

But there are real cases too, but I think they are the minority now

I've known two children who have been told they were ADHD at a young age, and now they're in their teens and show no signs of this behaviour anymore - they no longer have the outbursts, or sleeplessness, the problems socialising etc

It's because there is such a (manufactured?) wide umbrella when it comes to symptoms, signs and diagnosis, that it's really hard to point the finger and say "Your case isn't real"

Very grey area.

eddie wrote:Do you think it doesn't exist at all Quill, or is just over and misdiagnosed?

I think ADHD is recognized and defined by its inconvenience to others, namely parents, teachers and doctors.  The subjects are extremely intelligent children that are bored to tears with educational curricula at the slow pace it goes, and they zone out.  Hence, the 'attention deficit' part.

Then their fast-track minds are left to take an independent course.  They speed up and overwhelm even the possessor and everyone around him or her.  That's the 'hyperactive' part.  Only it's not a disorder.  The confusion that results places them in a deficit category, when they are simply extraordinary gifted children.  These are high-powered geniuses for which the educational system has no way to cope.  When they get to university they go right to the head of the class, and god-willing, everything straightens out.  

I pray for the ones that received no help, and dropped out of school, and are among the ranks of homeless and druggies today.

I have two such children.  One is an honors graduate of Harvard University, and her "hyperactivity" motivated her to take an MBA from Harvard Business School, and then a law degree from Harvard Law School.  Today she practices law in a Boston law firm.  My other daughter was a Fulbright Scholar in medicine, studying for a year-and-a-half at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and resuming in the US, received her MD degree and practices medicine presently.

Unlike the standard ADHD, my kids were looked after properly and focused their talents toward their achievements.

I would agree with the above by Quill...


We are under the lefty dogma in schools where we are all the same etc... so kids of different abilities are all lumped in together and then the pace of learning in each classroom goes at the speed of the slowest children in the class... with the rest getting bored to tears and am totally unstimulated etc and they start to entertain themselves...

captain wrote:

eddie wrote:
Do you think it doesn't exist at all Quill, or is just over and misdiagnosed?

Just my opinion, I have found children that were over active were being affected by additives. Others who avoided these foods, sweets and drinks, were found in time to be just very intelligent and not stimulated in the way they needed to be.  

YEP !

"Cut out the red cordial, soft drinks and lollies.." is often the first advice given to parents with hyper' and disruptive kids..

Red colouring is infamous.
As are high amounts of sugars and caffeine..

"He's not the Messiah ! He's just a very naughty boy.."

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:Do you think it doesn't exist at all Quill, or is just over and misdiagnosed?

I think ADHD is recognized and defined by its inconvenience to others, namely parents, teachers and doctors.  The subjects are extremely intelligent children that are bored to tears with educational curricula at the slow pace it goes, and they zone out.  Hence, the 'attention deficit' part.

Then their fast-track minds are left to take an independent course.  They speed up and overwhelm even the possessor and everyone around him or her.  That's the 'hyperactive' part.  Only it's not a disorder.  The confusion that results places them in a deficit category, when they are simply extraordinary gifted children.  These are high-powered geniuses for which the educational system has no way to cope.  When they get to university they go right to the head of the class, and god-willing, everything straightens out.  

I pray for the ones that received no help, and dropped out of school, and are among the ranks of homeless and druggies today.

I have two such children.  One is an honors graduate of Harvard University, and her "hyperactivity" motivated her to take an MBA from Harvard Business School, and then a law degree from Harvard Law School.  Today she practices law in a Boston law firm.  My other daughter was a Fulbright Scholar in medicine, studying for a year-and-a-half at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and resuming in the US, received her MD degree and practices medicine presently.

Unlike the standard ADHD, my kids were looked after properly and focused their talents toward their achievements.

Your daughters were diagnosed with ADHD?

I think part of the agenda to dumb down the bright kids...

Perhaps Tommy. But perhaps it's the parents who are dumb to start with?

eddie wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I think ADHD is recognized and defined by its inconvenience to others, namely parents, teachers and doctors.  The subjects are extremely intelligent children that are bored to tears with educational curricula at the slow pace it goes, and they zone out.  Hence, the 'attention deficit' part.

Then their fast-track minds are left to take an independent course.  They speed up and overwhelm even the possessor and everyone around him or her.  That's the 'hyperactive' part.  Only it's not a disorder.  The confusion that results places them in a deficit category, when they are simply extraordinary gifted children.  These are high-powered geniuses for which the educational system has no way to cope.  When they get to university they go right to the head of the class, and god-willing, everything straightens out.  

I pray for the ones that received no help, and dropped out of school, and are among the ranks of homeless and druggies today.

I have two such children.  One is an honors graduate of Harvard University, and her "hyperactivity" motivated her to take an MBA from Harvard Business School, and then a law degree from Harvard Law School.  Today she practices law in a Boston law firm.  My other daughter was a Fulbright Scholar in medicine, studying for a year-and-a-half at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and resuming in the US, received her MD degree and practices medicine presently.

Unlike the standard ADHD, my kids were looked after properly and focused their talents toward their achievements.

Your daughters were diagnosed with ADHD?

They were diagnosed as advanced, which in the better schools is the way this is handled. Remember, the diagnosis of ADHD is for the benefit of the parents, doctors and teachers who don't want to be bothered. The subject is simply the pawn in all of this.

My daughters were sent to special schools, advanced in grades, and accepted into precocious children programs. And they ended up in the finest of universities the world has to offer.

Good for you and your parenting.

I've seen what happens to clever and gifted children who don't get recognised and challenged.

My son was gifted in literacy at a young age. The school was pretty rubbish (oh the wars I had!) but his teacher was marvellous.
She pushed him and he learned so much from her.

eddie wrote:Good for you and your parenting.

I've seen what happens to clever and gifted children who don't get recognised and challenged.

My son was gifted in literacy at a young age. The school was pretty rubbish (oh the wars I had!) but his teacher was marvellous.
She pushed him and he learned so much from her.

How wonderful, you had an advocate. We've had a few of those along the way, too. The fact that both my children's parents were doctorates and university professors helped, too.

eddie wrote:Perhaps Tommy. But perhaps it's the parents who are dumb to start with?

What do you mean?

Tommy Monk wrote:

eddie wrote:Perhaps Tommy. But perhaps it's the parents who are dumb to start with?

What do you mean?

That they're uneducated about food, additives, how to stimulate and communicate with their child.

Look at Quill's example, above. That's an example of a parent that knew how to handle and steer their child in the right direction, despite being told a negative diagnosis.

I've seen parents, with no idea about how to raise a child, claim their kids are unruly so they must have ADHD.
It's amazing what happens when you take that child and engage then with something to do and focus their minds on.
Sometimes all the child needs attention aka parental input and hey presto! Child isn't unruly or playing up anymore.

Excuses excuses excuses Blame blame blame someone else which has become the norm nowadays.
Go and sit on the norty step!!!!! FHS when will PARENTS take responsibility and do THEIR job instead of looking for ways to get others involved, look after their own children when they are youngsters, teach them right from wrong, how to behave, problem is the parents do not have a clue themselves as their parents were equally crap, their grandparents were crap and even their great grand parents were the same.

These are children who NEED a proper upbringing from birth.

eddie wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:


What do you mean?

That they're uneducated about food, additives, how to stimulate and communicate with their child.

Look at Quill's example, above. That's an example of a parent that knew how to handle and steer their child in the right direction, despite being told a negative diagnosis.

I've seen parents, with no idea about how to raise a child,  claim their kids are unruly so they must have ADHD.
It's amazing what happens when you take that child and engage then with something to do and focus their minds on.
Sometimes all the child needs attention aka parental input and hey presto! Child isn't unruly or playing up anymore.

That's roughly what I thought you meant...


And I broadly agree...