Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently released a study where they stated that children with autism are prone to being over diagnosed with ADHD due to deficient diagnostic tools. The study leader, Benjamin E. Yerys, PhD, believes it is a crucial finding since ADHD medications do not necessarily work as well on people who have been diagnosed with autism.
ADHD May Be Over-Diagnosed in Children with Autism #adhd
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ADHD and autism are over-diagnosed.
The researchers involved in the study believe that the over diagnosis can be decreased if the manner in which questions used in ADHD and autism screenings are rephrased. Too many questions are of the yes or no variety. Therefore, screening questions that allow for more nuanced answers could lead to more accurate diagnoses.
Author Quote
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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be over diagnosed in children with autism because of insufficient diagnostic tools, according to a new study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
"Key Takeaways:
1
ADHD is often over diagnosed in children on the autism spectrum.
2
New tests and ways of diagnosis show how different ADHD and autism is but also why people seem to jump to overlap the diagnosis.
3
Not all doctors can diagnose autism or ADHD. However, parents advocate and often get referred to specialists because the medical world is not perfect.
