This summer two studies were published illustrating that a diagnosis of ADHD is more common among students who are the youngest in their respective grade. Both North Carolina State and Michigan State Universities found that immature students are often misdiagnosed with ADHD. In Michigan, students born before the kindergarten enrollment cutoff date of December 1st were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than those born after December 2nd who had to wait a year to enroll. By the time students reach fifth grade, the youngest in the class are more likely to be prescribed stimulants than their older classmates.
There are no blood tests or neurological screenings for ADHD, diagnoses are based on observations, commonly those made by teachers. These teachers may be basing their judgement on students who act more mature because they are up to a year older than the student in question.
It is unfair to be so quick to label students who fail to align with the ideal of the perfect student (which doesn't exist anyway).
In my first grade placement classroom for 401, there are a few students who are already diagnosed with ADHD, and two who are "being tested" for ADHD because my CT thinks that they have it because they are "easily distracted" and "can't stay on task." THEY ARE IN FIRST GRADE! It's funny that you posted this--I have always thought that ADHD was over-diagnosed, especially in the younger grades. Although I know that students oftentimes are properly diagnosed with ADHD, I typically look at it with a bit of skepticism, especially in the younger grades. In addition, the students in my classroom who are already diagnosed or are being tested, coincidentally, are boys. I read somewhere (but I'm not sure where) that at younger ages, the students who are diagnosed are mostly boys. I think that it can be directly associated to the immaturity you mentioned, which is never really a factor in coming to the conclusion that a student has ADHD. I think this is the case in one of the boys that has already been diagnosed in my placement classroom. In fact, I think he has more "problems" now that he has been diagnosed because of the medication he has been put on. He has switched numerous times because he reacts differently to the various medications, oftentimes making his behavior worse than it was before. I think that immaturity should definitely be taken more into account when diagnosing ADHD, especially when it's a younger student.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was a really interesting post. I think this is important for teachers to keep in mind when making observations and judgments on students. They are young and even 6 months can make a big difference in maturity levels. Also what life is like at home could have something to do with this and how much responsibility the child has in their lives. Maturity is not a reason to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I do think that if the child is ADHD they should be diagnosed but I think over diagnosing this is a big problem that is getting worse in our society. Kids may just need more structure or some support with lessons, it does not mean they need to be medicated all the time.
ReplyDeleteI found this post to be really interesting. I have heard before about students being over diagnosed with ADD and ADHD but I had never heard a study about age being a correlating factor. When students are young, a year can make a big different in maturity level. I also feel that people in general should be less quick to make judgments and assign labels to people.
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