Girls git it6/11/2023 ![]() “…it is not a trivial disorder for them, and they are equally in need of professional care.” Girls with ADHD Face Serious RisksĪnother revelation from the Harris poll: Females may suffer more negative effects from their ADHD than their male counterparts. “The failure to recognize ADHD symptoms in girls probably results in significant undertreatment,” they wrote. Quinn and Wigal said these differences cause some girls with ADHD to slip through the cracks. Polled parents and teachers also said that, among children with ADHD, boys are more likely than girls to exhibit behavioral problems, while girls are more often inattentive or struggling with a mood disorder. And four out of 10 teachers report more difficulty in recognizing ADHD symptoms in girls than in boys. They said that girls are more likely to “suffer silently” or show fewer symptoms. Among those polled, 85 percent of the teachers and more than half of the parents and the general public believe that girls with ADHD are more likely to go undiagnosed. Quinn and Sharon Wigal, Ph.D., associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California at Irvine, surveyed 3,234 people, including members of the general public (adults without ADHD whose children don’t have the condition), parents of children with the condition, teachers, and children with ADHD, ages 12 to 17. It comes as no surprise that a recent national online Harris Interactive poll reaffirms that, with respect to ADHD, girls have gone largely unnoticed. “I believe I was overlooked for so long because I didn’t show hyperactivity the way my two brothers with ADHD have,” says Burns. Put simply, a (hyperactive) boy who repeatedly bangs on his desk will be noticed before the (inattentive) girl who twirls her hair while staring out the window. The symptoms of this sub-type (which include poor attention to detail, limited attention span, forgetfulness, distractibility, and failure to finish assigned activities) tend to be less disruptive and obvious than those of hyperactive ADHD. A girl who talks all the time is often viewed by the teacher as chatty, not hyper or problematic - and thus is less likely to be recommended for an evaluation.Īnother reason that ADHD is often missed in girls is that they’re more likely than boys to suffer from inattentive ADHD. “In a classroom setting, a boy might continually blurt out answers or repeatedly tap his foot, whereas a girl might demonstrate hyperactivity by talking incessantly,” she says. One of the key reasons girls are so often overlooked is that they exhibit hyperactivity differently than boys, according to Patricia Quinn, M.D., director of the National Center for Gender Issues and ADHD in Washington, D.C. Why are girls being diagnosed so much later than boys, if at all? And what do teachers, pediatricians, and parents need to do to bring about a change? Symptoms of ADHD in Girls But it’s unfair that she, like so many other girls, suffered a decade or more with an untreated condition that can negatively impact life in so many ways. For the first time I felt in control in the classroom.”īurns is relieved to have identified the cause of her poor school performance, and happy she’s able to treat it. She saw almost immediate results: “I was finally able to focus during a lecture and take good notes, which helped improve my grades. I’d take lots of notes, but when I reviewed them, I couldn’t make sense of what I wrote,” says the communications major, now entering her junior year.Īfter a diagnosis of ADHD – Primarily Inattentive Type, Burns was prescribed ADHD medication. “And I’d try to listen in class, but I had a hard time concentrating and focusing on what the teacher was saying. I was studying all of the time, but doing poorly on tests because I’d freeze up,” says Burns. “In high school, I had a tutor to help me with different subjects, but once I got to college, I was expected to do it all by myself. The results indicated what she and her family had long suspected: ADHD. She wasn’t officially diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) until her freshman year at Indiana University, even though she showed obvious signs of ADHD in middle school.Īfter Burns nearly failed out of school, an academic advisor had her undergo a LASSI (Learning and Studies Strategy Inventory) screening to evaluate learning behaviors and academic achievement. Twenty-year-old Andrea Burns fits the description of ADHD in girls perfectly. exhibiting silliness or apparent ditziness.ADHD in girls - particularly if it’s the inattentive type of ADHD formerly called ADD - can look like this:
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