THE ESSENTIAL
- A higher IQ could delay the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.
- Greater symptoms of inattention and motor hyperactivity and impulsivity are linked to earlier age of diagnosis, except in girls.
- Higher socioeconomic status and non-White maternal ethnicity are associated with later age of diagnosis.
It concerns 5% of under-18s and 3% of adults. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. According to Health Insurance, the latter is characterized by the association of three symptoms whose intensity and manifestation vary depending on each person: an attention deficit (i.e. the inability to maintain attention , completing a task, frequent forgetfulness), motor hyperactivity (i.e. incessant restlessness, inability to stay still) and impulsivity (i.e. difficulty waiting, the tendency to interrupt the activities of others).
ADHD: 568 affected children took required tests
“Previous research suggests that certain populations, such as women and people with high intelligence quotients, may be at risk for late ADHD diagnosis and subsequent treatment,” indicated researchers from the University of Western Ontario (Canada). In order to find out for sure, they decided to carry out a study published in the journal British Journal of Clinical Psychology. For the purposes of the work, the team recruited 1,380 children with ADHD. Among them, 568 patients passed the required tests. Next, she performed a moderation analysis with gender as the predictor, cognitive ability as the moderator, and age of diagnosis as the outcome. “Second, we performed correlation analyzes to examine how presentation of symptoms of inattention and motor hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as demographic factors are related to delayed diagnosis.”
A higher intelligence quotient would delay the diagnosis of ADHD
The results showed that higher IQ delayed the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Greater symptoms of inattention and motor hyperactivity and impulsivity were linked to earlier age of diagnosis. In contrast, symptoms of motor hyperactivity and impulsivity were associated with later age of diagnosis in girls. The study found that higher socioeconomic status and non-white maternal ethnicity were linked to later age of diagnosis.
“Clinicians need to be alert to these individual differences and demographic factors, and take them into account when making a diagnosis. On the other hand, these factors may prevent individuals from seeking a diagnosis,” concluded the authors.
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