School & District Management

Study: Minimum ADHD Incidence Is 7.5 Percent

By Lisa Fine — March 27, 2002 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Educators on the front lines of spotting and helping students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may lack a clear picture of the syndrome’s prevalence, but a new study aims to help clarify the question.

In recent years, researchers have estimated that anywhere from 1 percent to 20 percent of school-age children in the United States have ADHD. Confusion over the rate of cases has fanned concerns that children are overidentified as having the disorder, or are overmedicated to treat it.

A clinical summary of the ADHD study is available from the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The full text of the study is available to subscribers or may be purchased for $9.

But a study released this month attempts to provide a clearer view of the rate of ADHD cases. In an analysis of the syndrome’s prevalence in one Minnesota school district, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that ADHD affected a minimum of 7.5 percent of school-age children. Because the study focused on one district, however, the researchers caution that the rates of ADHD could vary in areas with different demographics.

“We took a hard look at this condition from a number of angles to help pinpoint the occurrence rates,” said Dr. William J. Barbaresi, a Mayo Clinic specialist in developmental and behavioral pediatrics and the lead author of the study. “The results from this study provide much-needed baseline information for comparison with populations in other communities.”

Variety of Criteria

The Mayo Clinic researchers looked at 8,548 children born between Jan. 1, 1976, and Dec. 31, 1982, to mothers who lived in the townships that make up the Minnesota Independent School District in Olmsted County, Minn. Using different sets of research criteria, the researchers identified cases of ADHD as being definite, probable, or questionable. Using those varying criteria made the study different from previous ones, the researchers say.

The resulting estimates, which vary greatly depending on the strictness of the criteria, could help explain why past studies have arrived at so many different rates, the authors say. Some studies of the incidence of ADHD, they say, relied on single sources of information to establish the diagnosis, such as teacher questionnaires or diagnostic interviews.

When using the strictest research criteria, which included a clinical diagnosis and supporting documentation from medical and school records, the researchers concluded that 7.5 percent of school-age children in the district definitely had ADHD. Summing the cases of definite and probable ADHD gave them a figure of 9.6 percent. Counting all the definite, probable, and questionable cases led the researchers to arrive at an estimate of 16 percent.

A child with the disorder may have trouble paying attention, staying on task, and controlling impulses, such as inappropriately calling out in class. In many cases, stimulant medicines such as methylphenidate, often sold under the brand name Ritalin, are used to treat the disorder.

The Mayo Clinic report is featured in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. In a related editorial in that issue, Dr. Esther H. Wender, a Chappaqua, N.Y.-based physician and ADHD expert, writes that she believes the rate of ADHD will never truly be known because diagnosis is based on the subjective judgment of doctors.

“The published diagnostic criteria lend an aura of objectivity to the diagnosis, but the application of these criteria is based on subjective judgments regarding the accuracy of information given by parents and teachers,” Dr. Wender writes. “Only when and if biological markers can be found to identify the condition will this subjectivity be eliminated.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 27, 2002 edition of Education Week as Study: Minimum ADHD Incidence Is 7.5 Percent

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Rising Tensions From Israel-Hamas War Are Seeping Into Schools
As effects of the war reverberate in school communities, schools have federal responsibilities to create discrimination-free environments.
5 min read
People gather in Pliny Park in Brattleboro, Vt., for a vigil, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, for the three Palestinian-American students who were shot while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt., Saturday, Nov. 25. The three students were being treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center, and one faces a long recovery because of a spinal injury, a family member said.
People gather in Pliny Park in Brattleboro, Vt., for a vigil, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, for the three Palestinian-American students who were shot while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt., Saturday, Nov. 25. Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war are playing out in schools and colleges across the country, including some K-12 schools.
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management The Missed Opportunity for Public Schools and Climate Change
More cities are creating climate action plans, but schools are often left out of the equation.
4 min read
Global warming illustration, environment pollution, global warming heating impact concept. Change climate concept.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management 13 States Bar School Board Members From Getting Paid. Here's Where It's Allowed (Map)
There are more calls to increase school board members' pay, or to allow them to be paid at all.
Two professional adults, with a money symbol.
sankai/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Bad Sleep Is a Problem for Principals. Here’s What to Do About It
Our new study highlights the connection between stress and sleep among school leaders, write three researchers.
Eleanor Su-Keene, David E. DeMatthews & Alex Keene
5 min read
Stylized illustration of an alarm clock over a background which is split in half, with one half being nighttime and one half being daytime.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva