A new CDC study found that 11.4% of U.S. children aged 3-17 years have at some point been diagnosed with ADHD — up from 9.9% in 2016. Experts criticized the widespread normalization of trends and the unwillingness of researchers to make a connection to chemical exposures and harmful ingredients in childhood vaccines.
by John-Michael Dumais | May 30, 2024| The Defender-CHD
One in nine U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — an increase of approximately 1 million since 2016 — according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study, published this month in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, showed 11.4% of children ages 3-17 years (7.1 million) as having at some point been diagnosed with the condition, and 10.5% (6.5 million) currently living with ADHD.
In 2016, 9.9% of children at some point in their lives had been diagnosed with ADHD and only 8.9% of children were living with the condition.
Led by Melissa L. Danielson, MSPH of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, the study used data from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) to calculate its estimates.
The researchers analyzed data from 45,169 children ages 3-17, focusing on “ever diagnosed” and “current ADHD” prevalence. They also examined differences in prevalence across various demographic subgroups, including age, sex, race, ethnicity, household income and insurance status.
The authors spotlighted the high prevalence of moderate-to-severe ADHD, co-occurring mental health disorders and suboptimal treatment rates.
The study comes as Sweden recently reported an explosion of ADHD cases in 2022, with 10.5% of boys and 6% of girls diagnosed with the condition.
Study doesn’t connect ADHD to vaccines, toxic chemicals
Responding to the study findings, Dr. Paul Thomas, author of “The Vaccine-Friendly Plan” and co-founder of KidsFirst4Ever, told The Defender that his vaxxed-unvaxxed study showed “zero ADHD in the unvaccinated compared to significant ADHD in the variably vaccinated.”
In 2022, 53.6% of children with current ADHD, or approximately 3.4 million children, were taking ADHD medication — a decrease from the 62% reported in the 2016 NSCH.
The study authors propose several reasons for this decline, including potential disruptions in healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic and reported shortages of ADHD medications in 2022.
Behavioral treatment rates remained relatively stable, with 44.4% of children with current ADHD having received behavioral treatment in the past year, compared to 46.7% in 2016.
However, when considering a broader definition that included any mental health treatment or counseling, the percentage of children receiving behavioral interventions increased to 58.3%.
Around 30% of children with current ADHD — approximately 1.9 million — received neither medication nor behavioral treatment for their condition.
Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a professor of pediatric neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told NPR he was concerned that “less than half [of kids with an ADHD diagnosis] are getting behavioral therapies.”
Wiznitzer emphasized the need for both medications to control symptoms of hyperactivity and attention and therapy to teach kids and their parents strategies for home and school.
Methodological limitations
While the study provided insights into the current state of ADHD prevalence and treatment in the U.S., there were some methodological limitations.
The study relied on parent-reported data, which may be subject to recall bias or reporting inaccuracies. Also, the treatment questions were broad and did not distinguish between evidence-based interventions and other types of treatments.
The survey also did not capture data on school-based interventions, which are common in managing ADHD symptoms.
Another limitation was the relatively low survey response rate of 39.1%, although the authors noted that this is similar to previous years and that statistical weights were applied to adjust for non-response.
Some demographic subgroups had small sample sizes, which limited the reliability of certain estimates.
John-Michael Dumais is a news editor for The Defender. He has been a writer and community organizer on a variety of issues, including the death penalty, war, health freedom and all things related to the COVID-19 pandemic.