It affects three to five percent of school-aged children and is three times more common in boys. Although children with ADHD may have signs of problems in their toddler years, it s usually not diagnosed until they go to school. The child may interrupt others or blurt out answers. Peer relationships may suffer because the child can t take turns or play quietly with classmates.
Some children are much more active than their peers.
Other children develop more slowly and may appear to be inattentive. Thus, deciding whether a child s behavior is ADHD can be difficult because there s no single test for the condition. Children with ADHD have more frequent and more severe behavioral signs than others of the same age. In addition, the behaviors create problems in more than one area, such as school, home, or with friends. These drugs work by stimulating the areas of the brain that control attention, focusing ability, behavior, and organizational skills.