In 2021, research showed that for every 100 white children diagnosed with ADHD, there are 83 Black and 77 Hispanic children, and just 48 Asian children, with the diagnosis.
The research confirmed previous studies showing ADHD was found more often in whites than Asians, blacks, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. The analysis found yearly increases of ADHD prevalence among all ethnic groups studied, including a three-fold increase in Asians, from 0.11% to 0.35% of the study population.
Researchers examined data on more than 17,000 children in the United States in another study, published in Pediatrics. They found that compared with white children, Black children were 36 percent less likely and Latino children were 56 percent less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Pooled prevalence rate of ADHD was 15.9% (95%CI 11.6% - 20.7%) among Black children and adolescents, 16.6% (95%CI 11.6% - 22.2%) among Whites, 10.1% (95%CI 6.9% - 13.8%) among Latinos and 12.4% (95%CI 1.4% - 31.8%) among Asians.
The CDC study, reported in March of this year, found overall, 14% of children 3-17 have ever been diagnosed with either ADHD or learning disability, including 17% of Black children, 15% of white children and 12% of Hispanic children. (See chart.)
According to a meta- analysis in 2018, 5.6% of Chinese children are living with ADHD[6]. The overall prevalence of ADHD in China is 6.3%[7]. Furthermore, the economic costs of ADHD are considerable[8]. ADHD symptoms have a significantly negative impact on academic performance and lives[9].
However, there is no correlation between this condition and intelligence. In fact, according to one study , ADHD affects people in the same way across high, average, and low IQ score ranges. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that can make it difficult for people to focus and to control impulsive behaviors.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder that affects up to 1 in 20 children in the USA. The predominance of American research into this disorder over the past 40 years has led to the impression that ADHD is largely an American disorder and is much less prevalent elsewhere.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most prevalent childhood disorders today, is generally more likely to be diagnosed and treated in boys than in girls.
Rather, the rise seems to be due to an increase in access to healthcare; a decrease in stigmatization about receiving mental health care; and greater awareness of the symptoms of ADHD among clinicians, guardians, educators, and patients. In the past, ADHD was only diagnosed in children who were hyperactive.
Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood. Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.
Does Socioeconomic Status Affect ADHD Diagnosis? One study found that kids who live in families below the federal poverty level are more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis compared to kids who don't. Another suggested the same. More specifically, the risk of diagnosis doubles for children of low socioeconomic status.
ADHD symptoms start before age 12, and in some children, they're noticeable as early as 3 years of age. ADHD symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and they may continue into adulthood. ADHD occurs more often in males than in females, and behaviors can be different in boys and girls.
Girls are also less likely to be diagnosed earlier because they often display more symptoms of anxiety. Medical providers may only treat a female patient's anxiety or depression without evaluating for ADHD. Hormones, which affect the symptoms of both ADHD and anxiety, can complicate things.
ADHD can reduce life expectancy by as much as 13 years, but its risk is reversible.
According to the CDC, roughly 9.5% of children in the USA have been diagnosed with ADHD, whereas research based in Europe shows that between 3.5% and 5.6% of children in France have been diagnosed with ADHD.
The prevalence rates of ADHD in children and adolescents are high with estimates of 5.3 % [45] to 5.9 % [59] worldwide and 4.6 % for Europe [45]. Similar prevalence rates of approximately 5 % were observed for adults with ADHD worldwide [59].
The prevalence of adult ADHD is estimated as 1.65% in Japan [3] and 1.2 to 3.2% [2, 4] worldwide.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage. People with ADHD have a unique perspective that others may find interesting and valuable.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do.
ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they have some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other. Experts have changed the way they think about how autism and ADHD are related.
The disorder begins in childhood, but somewhere between 30 to 70 percent of sons will also be fathers with ADHD. A number of published studies show a clear link to genetics, but it is not 100 percent conclusive. There may be other factors involved or genetics may not be behind each incident.
The prevalence of ADHD among the adults have been studied in a small scale (6-8), which did not provide information on the prevalence in children. The prevalence of ADHD in children was reported with a wide range such as 5.9% and 9.0% in Korea, even though they were confined to Seoul (9,10).
'Twice-exceptional' children
Although atypical behaviors in gifted children do not necessarily indicate the presence of a disability, gifted children can have ADHD or another behavioral or mental health condition even when they are provided with appropriate levels of stimulation.