ADHD due to high academic expectations?

Posted on March 22, 2016

Photo: flickr

A new study led by Jeffrey P. Brosco, M.D., Ph.D., professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has identified a possible correlation between the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and increasing academic demands on young children. The authors hypothesized that increased academic standards since the 1970s have contributed to the rise in diagnosis of ADHD.

While ADHD is a neurobiological condition, Brosco said it is influenced by age-dependent behaviors and demands of the environment. As academic activities have increased, time for playing and leisure has decreased, resulting in some children being seen as outliers and ultimately being diagnosed with ADHD.

"We feel that the academic demands being put on young children are negatively affecting a portion of them," he said. "For example, beginning kindergarten a year early doubles the chance that a child will need medications for behavioral issues."


Category(s):Academic Issues, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Source material from University of Miami Miller School of Medicine