Children who start school earlier are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And this, even if their classmates are slightly older than them.
In France, depending on the date of birth of a child – and the date of return to school – a child can take his first steps in school at two and a half or three years old. In the United States, it’s the same thing. In some states, the registration deadline is September 1 each year.
Children born in August and enrolled in school are therefore among the youngest in their class. A new study, conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, reveals that they are more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The results of this study are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
More children on treatment
In the United States, the rate of ADHD diagnosis has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2016, more than 5% of American children were under treatment for this kind of disorder, compared to 3 to 5% in France. An increase due, according to experts, to greater recognition of the latter, to an increase in the incidence of the disease, or in some cases to misdiagnoses.
This is the case, according to the researchers of the study, for these children who enter school at a younger age. “Our results suggest the possibility that a large number of children are over-diagnosed and over-treated for ADHD because they find themselves relatively immature compared to their older classmates at the start of elementary school” , details Timothy Layton, lead author of the study.
30% more diagnoses
At two years old, it is indeed more difficult for a child to sit still and concentrate than at three years old. This can cause teachers and parents to go see a doctor. Because the three signs of ADHD are attention deficit, motor hyperactivity and impulsivity.
To carry out their study, the researchers looked at a large database. They compared the difference in the diagnosis of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder according to the month of birth of 407,000 children, born between 2007 and 2009 and followed up to 2015. Thus, in states that have September 1 as schooling deadline, children born in August are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than those born in September (and therefore start school later). The researchers stress the importance of considering all the factors to consider before referring a child to see a doctor.
.
