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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( Adhd )

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Understanding the impact of race and gender on the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) begins with knowledge of the disorder and its symptoms. A description of ADHD is given in an article titled Overview of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Children, where it is defined as a complex disorder that can develop in preschool years and continue throughout adulthood (Singh, Yeh, Verma, & Das, 2015, pp. 23-35). However, Singh et al. (2015) discuss how the specifics of what constitutes ADHD has changed each time the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual has been revised, but as of the Fifth Edition, a person has to meet six out of nine symptoms of inattention to be officially diagnosed with ADHD. Although there …show more content…

In an article about finding an appropriate screening tool for African-American children, Flowers and McDougle (2010) mention how there is concern with the validity of behavior rating scales because most screening tools correlate the behaviors of African-American boys and girls with ADHD behaviors twice as much as other ethnic groups (pp. 372-374). With that being said, Miller et al. (2008) states that behaviors such as aggression, tantrums, and antisocial behavior frequently co-occur with ADHD. The finding from these studies lead to questions about the reliability of behavioral scales and the classification of ADHD symptoms. Catherine Tucker and Andrea Dixon (2009) also mention the high referral of African-Americans to mental health services for ADHD in their article, adding that African-American males living in poverty are the least likely to receive treatment services (pp. 309-322). Additionally, African-Americans with ADHD are under-identified due to lack of access to quality care or lack of willingness to seek treatment (Miller et al., 2008).
Screenings, Assessments, and Behavioral Scales for Diagnosing ADHD
As cited in Why the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Matters, care groups for children suggest children should be screened for ADHD as early as

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