I am often asked why it seems as though ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is diagnosed more often now than it was in the past. First, a couple of points of clarification. The condition used to be called ADD and ADD-H. Now, the terminology has changed. It's all ADHD, but there are three subtypes: ADHD-inattentive, ADHD-hyperactive, and ADHD- combined type (with both inattention and hyperactivity). I know it's a bit confusing, but it's the current terminology. A second point is that ADHD encompasses much more than just problems with attention and concentration. It also includes the ability to get started on important, but tedious tasks, organization, sustained, disciplined effort, and the ability to monitor one's work for careless mistakes and legibility. Finally, an important symptom of ADHD can be a problem with working memory. Working memory is the human equivalent of RAM memory on a computer. When working memory is impaired in people, it's like a computer than doesn't have enough RAM. Certain programs run very slowly and inefficiently, if at all.
In the past, it was believed that all children outgrew this condition by their mid-adolescence (15 or 16 years old). We now know that many children with ADHD (perhaps as much as 50%) continue to have the condition on into adulthood. The fact that older teens and adults are being diagnosed for the first time explains in part the increased incidence of ADHD.
Another reason that ADHD is more prevalent today is that more is expected of students at earlier ages. Witness the changes in standardized IQ tests. People are getting smarter. Students are learning more at earlier ages than was true a generation ago. With all of this increase in intelligence, kids are expected to learn more, sooner, and at a faster rate. Most of us parents can say without question that our kids are expected to learn more material, of greater difficulty, and at an earlier age than we did as kids. There are many kids who are diagnosed today with ADHD who would not have been diagnosed with this condition a generation ago when less was expected of the average student. I have also seen people who were functionally perfectly well in other countries (particularly third world countries) who come to the U.S. and all of a sudden, they have ADHD. So, some of this is cultural. We are a very fast-paced, over-scheduled society that crams too much into an average day than is probably good for us. As this has occurred more and more with each generation, there's a greater instance of people just not able to keep up with the pace. They end up having ADHD when compared to their faster paced peers who can still keep all of the proverbial plates spinning at once.
For a good, comprehensive ADHD assessment in the Chicago area, please see us at http://www.heritageprofessional.com. We also offer a wonderful training program to help improve working memory. We can train anyone on this program, regardless of location.
