ADHD presentation, duration misunderstood among parents, teachers, HCPs

Data from a nationally representative, multi-arm survey indicate mothers, teachers and health care professionals have incorrect impressions of ADHD symptoms, diagnosis and treatment in adolescent girls.

To assess awareness, perceptions and attitudes about ADHD, Patricia Quinn, MD, of the National Center for Girls and Women with ADHD in Washington, DC, and colleagues conducted an online survey in July 2014 among 1,051 mothers of girls aged 8 to 14 years; 103 mothers of girls aged 8 to 14 years with ADHD; 117 adult women diagnosed with ADHD as a child and 106 diagnosed in adulthood; 303 elementary or middle school teachers; 100 primary care physicians; and 103 pediatricians.

Patricia Quinn

Approximately 50% of mothers of girls with ADHD reported they considered their daughter’s behavior “normal adolescent struggles.” Fifty-nine percent said they were initially hesitant to seek help from a physician for their daughter and 60% reported they wish they had recognized ADHD symptoms earlier and acted sooner.

“Symptoms of ADHD may not be as noticeable in girls because girls are more likely than boys to display inattentiveness rather than the hyperactivity and impulsivity most people associate with the disorder,” Quinn said in a press release. “All too often their mothers and fathers chalk it up to age and stage in development.”

To be diagnosed with ADHD, an individual must display multiple inattentive and/or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and meet other requirements. However, 36% of all mothers of adolescent girls reportedly believe one must display hyperactive-impulsive symptoms to be diagnosed.

Thirty percent of teachers reported that they did not know very much about ADHD.

Twenty-nine percent of teachers and health care professionals reported children outgrow ADHD symptoms, despite previous research that suggests nearly 50% of children with ADHD continue to meet diagnosis criteria into adulthood, according to the press release.

More than half of adult women diagnosed with ADHD as children reportedly wished they had been diagnosed sooner.

“The results of this survey underscore how much education still needs to be done about the full range of ADHD symptoms,” Quinn said in the release. “It is important to tune into what’s going on with our daughters as individuals and to be willing to talk to their doctors if we think something more serious could be going on.”

Disclosure: The study was supported by Shire Pharmaceuticals.