About ADHD Statistics in Children

ADHD is the accepted acronym for a condition called "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." The disorder is common in children and is usually diagnosed when a child struggles to concentrate on tasks, pay attention or sit still. All children can be rambunctious and inattentive at times, but ADHD symptoms go beyond occasional excitement or rowdiness. With ADHD, the symptoms are present over a long period of time and affect the child's ability to function.

Expert Insight

• The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 3 percent of all children have ADHD.

Gender

• Boys are 3 times more likely to have ADHD than girls.

Parents

• Children with ADHD have a parent with ADHD 40 percent of the time. Parents of a child with ADHD are 3 times more likely to divorce than other couples.

Effects

• Emotional development is usually slowed by 30 percent in children with ADHD.

Related Issues

• Most children with ADHD have discipline problems, with 45 percent having been suspended from school at least once. Half of all children with ADHD have sleep problems and 1/4 have a learning disability.

Driving

• Teen drivers with ADHD have 4 times as many car accidents as other drivers their age.

Famous Ties

• Many famous people have or have had ADHD, including Michael Phelps, Ansel Adams, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Carey, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Bill Cosby and Albert Einstein.