Understanding the rise of ADHD in kids

ADHD cases have exponentially grown. So much so, waiting lists in England for its assessment is upto ten years long! Even in the US, the share of newly diagnosed cases rose by 60% from 2020 to 2022. WHO has estimated that ~5-8% children in India have ADHD. This got us wondering – WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING? 🧐As expected, the most cited cause is high screen exposure which over-stimulates a very fragile brain in early developing years. But that doesn't explain the exploding adult cases where ADHD used to be a kid phenomenon. We dug deeper!Our research indicated that the binary view of ADHD is no longer supported by science. Scientists have failed to find a neurological pattern in an “ADHD brain”. Rather, its another variant on the spectrum of neurodiversity – just like any human trait 🌟. Even the data used to assess is not concrete and exhaustive – like girls are not adequately represented (boys are 2-3x more prone to have ADHD, since girls are better at finding ways to “mask” symptoms)Also, its observed that in most cases, symptoms are mild enough to disappear when the environment around them is accommodating ✨. Certain Western schools have been organising lessons in groups to make it easier for pupils with ADHD-like traits. But unfortunately, in India we are not that aware and often try to hide – ADHD is a taboo.We urge parents to embrace their kids. If your child is suffering from ADHD symptoms, don’t panic, or worst hide it. That makes the conditions even more stressful for your little one who is adjusting to new things in life. Talk around and seek help – in unmanageable cases, medication and therapy has been useful. But in most cases, rather than trying to make everyone fit in the definition of “normal”, lets be sensible – adjust classrooms, home and workplaces to suit neurodiversity.Neurodivergent people are usually specialists, not generalists. Be more accommodating and help them achieve their potential.If you want to talk more, or seek help, drop us a message! ❤️