In some states, this month of birth is linked to higher rates of ADHD diagnosis, according to a study



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The study examined 407,846 American children born between 2007 and 2009 to determine the number of ADHD diagnoses related to the child's birth month.

According to Timothy Layton, lead author of the study, the researchers found that there were more diagnoses of children born in August. They then found that it was only true in states that have a deadline to start kindergarten on September 1. This means that children born in August would be among the youngest in their clbadrooms, sometimes almost a year younger than other clbadmates.

"We did not see anything for any couples other than the months of August through September, where we saw this big difference," said Layton, badistant professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. . "We saw that it was only in states that had a deadline of September 1. There was nothing in states that did not have it."

According to the State Education Commission, which was used as a source by researchers, 21 states have this deadline, including Texas, Arizona, and Illinois. The remaining 29 states and the District of Columbia have a series of registration deadlines, including December 2 in California and until January 1 in Vermont.

Layton and his coauthors found that the rate of children with ADHD with a birthday in August was 34% higher than that of children born in September. Among children born in August, 85.1 out of 10,000 children were diagnosed with ADHD, compared to only 63.6 out of 10,000 born in September.

Children born in August also had a 32% higher rate of treatment for illness than those born in September.

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include difficulty in paying attention, being too active and controlling impulsive behavior.
  10% of American children diagnosed with ADHD, according to a study
In 2016, about 9.4% of American children – 6.1 Millions – less than 2 years old and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, the CDC said. About 3.3 million of these children were between 12 and 17 years old, 2.4 million between 6 and 11 years old and 388,000 between 2 and 5 years old, the CDC said.

Some symptoms are normal behavior in children, but those with ADHD may not overcome them. The symptoms can be severe and cause difficulties at school, at home or with friends, said the CDC.

Younger children in their peer group, such as those whose birthday is the month of August in a school whose deadline is September 1st. , may be more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, Layton said, that some childhood behaviors may be consistent with those used for diagnosis.

"Basically, ADHD is diagnosed as normal behavior in the child, and is treated for him, even if it is only a normal child. is that they are younger than their peers and behave a little differently, "he said.

  Signs of ADHD may be different in girls
Dr. Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Health, Behavior and Child Development at the Seattle Children's Research Institute, wrote in an e-mail that "This study confirms on a larger scale what d & # 39; 39 other studies have shown on a smaller, confounding one in the diagnosis of the disease and that the relative immaturity of the brain of young children can cause those who are simply younger at school entry to adopt behaviors consistent with ADHD. "Christakis did not participate in the research.
Joel Nigg, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University, said that tracking diagnoses through an insurance database allows researchers to see what clinicians are doing were doing. It's more accurate than relying on parents' reports about their child's diagnosis.

But this could be a weakness, he said, in that "we do not know how clinicians make the diagnosis, how well they follow the protocols." this could leave room for an "age-related diagnostic bias".

Although it is unlikely that the results will change significantly, Nigg and other researchers also noted that the study's authors had not determined whether the children were actually enrolled in the school.

Despite these limitations, Nigg believes this study is valuable when looking at diagnoses of ADHD.

"It is really useful to continue to look at what sociological factors of diagnosis can be called, it really helps to solve real cases, where the child actually has a problem to treat, rather circumstantial cases that may be a normal development that looks bad because of the situation in which the child is, "he said.

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