The Rise in ADHD: What Is Normal?

ADHD cases rising sharply among boys. The increase could fuel concern among doctors that the diagnosis and its medication are overused. __ BY ALAN SCHWARZ AND SARAH COHEN NEW YORK TIMES __ Nearly 1 in 5 high-school-age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children overall have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). __ These rates reflect a marked rise over the past decade and could fuel growing concern among many doctors that the ADHD diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children.

The article went to to say that many times these students were being diagnosed because they couldn't sit still all day in the classroom. Sit in a hard chair, not move much, and pay attention for hours at a time - many normal seven or eight year-olds would consider that torture.

School environments will create more successful outcomes (and help diagnose fewer kids) if they allow young growing bodies to move more, even during quiet study.