White children are especially likely to be overdiagnosed and overtreated for ADHD, according to a new study

Photo caption: Children with ADHD typically exhibit a combination of hyperactivity, inattentiveness and/or impulsive behavior. Photo credit: Klaus Vedfelt / Digital Vision via Getty Images. Article by Paul L. Morgan. The Conversation – July 6, 2022.

The big idea

White children are especially likely to be overdiagnosed and overtreated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during elementary school. That is the key finding from our recent peer-reviewed study. We analyzed data from 1,070 U.S. elementary school children who had displayed above-average behavioral, academic or executive functioning the year before their initial ADHD diagnoses. We considered these children as unlikely to have ADHD. […]

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