The ADHD in Kids Debate: Can a Child Really Outgrow ADHD?

if someone came into my office and asked me if their child can grow out of ADHD the psychologist in me might say that's a really great question what do you think is making you ask that because I think the answer to this question is even more important than the answer to whether or not they'll outgrow it so in this video I'll talk about answers to both these and about how what we know about ADHD symptoms has changed in recent years because this impacts how we parent kids with ADHD and your relationship with them I'm Dr Jackie and I make videos for parents on ADHD and child anxiety let's jump right in there is something that's really common among parents of kids with ADHD worry and when parents ask will my child grow out of ADHD I think many people really want to ask what if my child doesn't outgrow it and when we phrase the question that way the fear and worry behind the what if becomes more clear how come you're wondering if they'll outgrow it you might feel worried and stressed about what it means for their future and yours if they don't maybe you've seen seen or heard things about other problems associated with ADHD like poor social skills or Worse academic performance or increased anxiety or depression or substance abuse and of course you don't want those things for your child maybe ADHD causes a lot of stress within your family and it's just hard to imagine how to live with it long term maybe your child is getting a lot of trouble at school and you can't find a place that can properly support them maybe you're debating about medication or therapy and wondering if it's really needed thinking about what that means for you and your family if your child doesn't outgrow it will make those fears or worries much more clear when you understand what yours are and what you are expecting or needing you can make a better more personalized plan to address those fears and find the support you and your child need right now when we ask questions that start with what if it's almost always a sign of anxiety what if I don't do well on this test or what if they think I'm weird or what if idiot she doesn't go away you're worried how you'll do what others will think or what the future holds sometimes it means we need to gather more evidence and examine the truth behind those fears sometimes it means we're avoiding something that has high Stakes or is really important to us and sometimes it's about accepting the reality of a situation and our lack of control over it the best way to deal with fears and worries is to have a plan and take small steps to face them now for example if you're worried about other long-term problems like trouble with school or relationships or emotions gather evidence from reputable sources about how those long-term problems develop usually it's from untreated ADHD if you're stressed about how ADHD will impact your family long term find strategies now to help reduce the stress like setting up your home in a more ADHD friendly way focusing on what your child can do well versus what they can't or using more mindfulness throughout your day taking some of these small steps now will improve the way you pair your child with ADHD and keep your relationship with them a priority when we address those future related worries with things we can do now to make it better the answer to the question will they outgrow it also feels a little less heavy so do kids outgrow ADHD older research showed that recovery from ADHD symptoms was thought to be anywhere from 30 up to 70 even though the specific number varies based on which research you're looking at so about half of the people diagnosed with ADHD as a child would not go on to have ADHD as an adult and the answer used to be yes some people outgrow ADHD as newer research comes out we keep learning more about how ADHD can look different different at different ages and stages of development so has the answer changed before I tell you about that if you're finding this video helpful so far I'd really appreciate if you go ahead and tap the like button and subscribe it'll help it spread to more families who need it and it lets me know what kind of information you all are interested in we now know that how symptoms affect someone changes over time this has even caused a change in the formal criteria in the diagnostic manual the DSM the way clinicians decide if a person has ADHD or not in children they have to have six or more symptoms in at least one of the two main categories hyperactivity and impulsivity or inattention for an adult that threshold drops to five or more symptoms and generally speaking symptoms of one category hyperactivity and impulsivity do get better with age an older study found that hyperactive symptoms were worse between the ages of six and eight and gradually started to decline after age 11. adults with ADHD generally describe these hyperactive symptoms as feelings of restlessness or impulsivity that come out in decision making or being tactful in social situations rather than what we think of as hyperactive or impulsive behaviors of kids like running around a lot or doing more physically risky things symptoms of inattention on the other hand appear to persist and to adulthood things like disorganization and procrastination and trouble with focusing can still cause very real problems with work and relationships in adulthood another thing to keep in mind is that many adults have developed tools and coping skills over time that allow them to better manage their symptoms this happens with older children and teenagers who've received treatment as well it's not that the ADHD isn't present but they've learned how to deal with it better so their symptoms interfere less with their life so what do we think the answer to the question do kids outgrow ADHD is now in 2021 one of the largest and longest follow-up studies to date was published it followed 558 kids with ADHD over 16 years and completed assessments of their symptoms about every two years this is one of the most robust studies about ADHD symptoms and Recovery over time that we currently have at the final follow-up time Point only about nine percent of the sample were in full remission from ADHD that means that over 90 percent of the kids did not grow out of ADHD completely by the time they were adults there was something else really interesting that came out of that study about 31 of the sample met criteria for remission for at least one of the follow-up time points and that 63 of the sample had a fluctuating pattern of ADHD throughout the study meaning they had some follow-ups where they had persistent symptoms some with partial remission and or some with full remission given the data from this study there is now even more support for ADHD to be a chronic condition one where the answer to that question do kids grow out of ADHD is most likely not however the data from the study also supports the fact that ADHD symptoms may look different or be stronger at different times in life the demands of certain situations might make ADHD more noticeable like when kids first begin to do more academic work and there are higher behavioral expectations at school around the age seven or eight which is the most common time for children to be diagnosed or when kids transition from more structure academics of high school to more unstructured demands of college or professional school or when you move up in your job to that managerial position that demands more organization leadership and planning or when you become a parent and the demands of caring for and dividing your attention between yourself and your kids becomes really strong we see from these examples that even though ADHD most likely persists how much ADHD affects someone can vary depending on the environment expectations and demands on their mental resources I know the worries and stress from having a child with ADHD can be really tough and that can be really overwhelming at times especially when you're thinking about things for the long term so I've got all the most important ideas about raising a child with ADHD laid out in a comprehensive video guide that talks about what I would really do if my child were diagnosed with ADHD in this video I go through how to make your home more ADHD friendly how to focus on what your child can do well versus what they can't and how to deal with really big emotions it'll give you perspective on how to have a close relationship with your child even when things are frustrating and hard so I'd really recommend you go check it out next see you there

Channel: Doctor Jacque | Child Anxiety & ADHD

Views: 919

Keywords: do kids grow out of adhd, can kids outgrow adhd, can you outgrow adhd, outgrowing adhd, outgrow adhd, can adhd go away, does adhd go away, help kids with adhd, can adhd be treated, can adhd get worse with age, can adhd be cured, help children with adhd, adhd in children, adhd parenting tips, children with adhd, parenting adhd children, doctor jacque, child behavior clinic, dr bogdanov, adhd kids, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dr jacque

Id: OZ95chLCxME

Length: 8min 5sec (485 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 03 2022