Wide Background Disparities Found in Those With ADHD

A white boy who lives in the city and has an older teacher is more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than a black girl who lives in the South and has a white teacher, according to a study of thousands of elementary school students that was published in the April issue of Pediatrics , the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In addition, children are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, a condition characterized by inattentiveness or impulsivity, in states with strong state-level school accountability laws, the study adds.

The study developed a scale of four measures of accountability: state school report cards, school ratings, rewards for schools based on test scores, and sanctions based on scores. A child in a state with one such accountability measure was 1.32 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than a child in a state with none, and the likelihood increased as...