HOW OLD DOES A CHILD NEED TO BE FOR ADHD TO BE DIAGNOSED?
I’ve had several parents ask about their child being diagnosed with ADHD at three—or even two—and started on medication. I suggest that parents be very cautious about this. Although many children with ADHD will begin to display symptoms at such a young age, it is difficult to diagnose ADHD with any certainty in a child so young. This is because many extremely active toddlers will calm down as they develop and mature. In addition, excessive activity and impulsivity is characteristic of many toddlers, which makes it hard to determine when it is unusual enough to possibly reflect a disorder. Here is a quote from DSM-IV—the publication that specifies the diagnostic criteria for all psychiatric disorders, including ADHD: “Most parents first observe excessive motor activity when the children are toddlers, frequently coinciding with the development of independent locomotion. However, because many overactive toddlers will NOT (emphasis mine) go on to develop ADHD, caution should be exercised i
