Girls often missed

Girls and women with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are often diagnosed years later than boys because the condition can look quieter and less disruptive. (medicalnewstoday.com) Medical News Today reported this week that women with ADHD are diagnosed, on average, about five years later than male peers, citing psychiatrist and researcher Davida Hartman. Hartman said girls are more likely to hide symptoms through “masking” and to be seen as compliant rather than struggling. (medicalnewstoday.com) ADHD is a developmental disorder marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, or a mix of those symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The agency says girls and women are more likely to be diagnosed with the inattentive form, while boys and men more often show hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. (nimh.nih.gov) That difference can change what adults notice first. A girl who forgets assignments, loses track of steps, or spends hours over-correcting mistakes may not trigger the same referrals as a classmate who interrupts, runs around, or acts out. (medicalnewstoday.com) The American Academy of Pediatrics says ADHD diagnosis should draw on reports from parents, teachers, and other school staff, plus evidence that symptoms affect functioning in more than one setting. That matters for children whose impairment shows up as disorganization, unfinished work, or emotional strain rather than discipline problems. (aap.org) Federal health agencies also stress that strong grades do not rule out ADHD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms must be present and impairing, but they can look different across ages, and in adults hyperactivity may show up as restlessness rather than obvious overactivity. (cdc.gov) ADHD is common in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics says more than 9% of children ages 2 to 17 have received an ADHD diagnosis during childhood, which makes missed or delayed recognition a school and primary-care issue, not a rare exception. (aap.org) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says teachers and school administrators can help children with ADHD succeed in class, and its data pages track diagnosis and treatment patterns nationwide. In practice, that means the adults around a child often determine whether quiet executive-function problems are documented early or dismissed for years. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) For women diagnosed later, the paper trail often has to be rebuilt backward. The National Institute of Mental Health says adult diagnosis still depends on showing that symptoms began before age 12, so clinicians often rely on childhood reports, school history, and family recollections that may be incomplete. (nimh.nih.gov) The result is that ADHD can stay hidden behind neat handwriting, perfectionism, or people-pleasing until school, work, or family demands outgrow those coping habits. The newer push from clinicians and educators is not to broaden the label indiscriminately, but to look harder at the girls who were taught to sit still and struggle quietly. (medicalnewstoday.com);