ADHD: facts & statistics

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that most often occurs in children. Symptoms of ADHD include trouble concentrating, paying attention, staying organized, and remembering details.

It can be a difficult condition to diagnose. Children with untreated ADHD are sometimes mislabeled as troublemakers or problem children. Make sure you know the basic facts and symptoms of ADHD.

5 Fast Facts

Males are almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than females.
During their lifetimes, 12.9 percent of men will be diagnosed with the attention disorder. Just 4.9 percent of women will be diagnosed.
The average age of ADHD diagnosis is 7 years old.
Symptoms of ADHD typically first appear between the ages of 3 and 6.
ADHD isn’t just a childhood disorder. Today, about 4 percent of American adults over the age of 18 deal with ADHD on a daily basis.

Different Symptoms

Boys and girls display very different ADHD symptoms, and boys are much more likely to be diagnosed with the attention disorder. Why? It’s possible the nature of ADHD symptoms in boys makes their condition more noticeable than it is in girls.

Boys tend to display externalized symptoms that most people think of when they think of ADHD behavior, for example:

impulsivity or “acting out”
hyperactivity, such as running and hitting
lack of focus, including inattentiveness
physical aggression

ADHD in girls is often easy to overlook because it’s not “typical” ADHD behavior. The symptoms aren’t as obvious as they are in boys. They can include: