It is estimated that ADHD affects 6% of children globally. Interestingly, some people only find out they have ADHD when they are adults. There are several reasons why it takes time for parents and teachers to discover ADHD in children.
Some Symptoms Don’t Stand Out In Children
Children naturally have a short attention span. However, this is one of the symptoms of ADHD. Other symptoms, such as social awkwardness, impatience, and selfishness, are not unique.
When a child behaves this way, it is often considered a personality trait. Sometimes, an only child gets a pass because they have never had to share a toy or even wait their turn.
So, it is only when a child struggles with inattentiveness in school that teachers and parents pay a closer look.
Conditions That Mimic ADHD
The other challenge that makes ADHD difficult to diagnose and sometimes easy to misdiagnose is its similarity to different conditions. For example, a child may have an anxiety disorder, which makes them nervous and unable to complete tasks efficiently.
The other condition is opposition defiant disorder (ODD). Children with ODD tend to have negative and disruptive behaviours, especially towards people with authority, such as parents and teachers. This disruptive behaviour can easily be translated as hyperactivity in children with ADHD.
Children in the autism spectrum or those with dyslexia also exhibit symptoms similar to ADHD.
Rapid Changes In Younger Children
As children grow, their personalities and behaviours change rapidly. Sometimes those hyperactive ones become withdrawn, while the quiet ones suddenly have so much to say. Parents cannot truly say if an inattentive and hyperactive child is going through a phase or if they have ADHD.
This is one of the reasons why doctors prefer waiting on diagnosing until a child is at least 7 years old. The other difficult age for diagnosis is the teenage years. Teenagers also have rapid changes in behaviour, making diagnosing ADHD difficult.
ADHD Has No Obvious Tests
When you walk into a doctor’s office for an ADHD diagnosis, your child will not undergo any tests because there are none. Instead, the doctor will attempt to gather information on a child’s behaviour over time.
Additionally, the doctor must know how the child behaves in different environments. Is their behaviour consistent, or do they act one way at home and the opposite while in school?
Information from different sources, including teachers and caregivers, will give a clearer picture. The doctor will want to understand how the child’s behaviour affects their ability to function and perform optimally in schoolwork and other activities.
You may also need to take note of the period in which you noticed these unique behaviours in the child. Has it been going on for at least six months? This data is critical because it shows consistency, and only then will a doctor offer a proper diagnosis.
ADHD has its challenges, but the greatest are misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis. Unfortunately, the abovementioned factors make it difficult for doctors to diagnose correctly, at least not when the child is too young.
