Hispanics are less likely to be diagnosed with AD/HD, perhaps due to language barriers, physician bias, or other reasons.
by ADDitude Editors
A new study, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, reports that Hispanic children are less likely than either Caucasian or African-American children to be diagnosed with AD/HD during PCP visits. Jack Stevens, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio, said that the low rate of diagnoses could be explained by language barriers, physician bias, different attitudes about children's behavior, or the possibility "that AD/HD symptoms might occur less frequently in Hispanic-American youths compared with their white American counterparts." The researchers found no differences based on ethnicity in whether or not children were prescribed medication after diagnosis.