Do Kids Outgrow ADHD?

Q: My 8-year just went on medication for ADHD. My pediatrician says that this will help him in school, and that he may outgrow the problem in a few years. Is this true? Do kids really outgrow ADHD and if so, when?

A: Your pediatrician is correct, about 75% of children outgrow their ADHD symptoms by early adulthood. A study by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health and McGill University compared brain scans from two groups of children, one with attention deficit disorder and one without (reported in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/health/13kids.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin). In the group of children with ADHD, the pruning process of the cerebral cortex, sometimes called the thinking part of the brain, began about 3 years later than kids without ADHD. The greatest delays in brain maturation were found in those areas most involved with attention and motor delay. The authors of the study concluded that most children with ADHD develop normally, just more slowly in some areas of the brain. Of course statistical studies do not necessarily apply to individual children. While this study suggests that your child is likely to grow out of his ADHD by the time he is in college, there is still a 25% chance that this won't happen. Six month follow-ups with your pediatrician are recommended to evaluate his medication protocol, and at least an annual review of his school performance. Most physicians also recommend "medication vacations" so that a child's behavior can be evaluated without the influence of drugs.