Younger children in school year are more commonly diagnosed with ADHD than their older classmates, says new study

If your child is among the youngest in their school grade, it's more likely they'll be mistakenly identified by teachers as having ADHD or autism, a new study confirms.

Researchers looked at how being one of the youngest children in a class can influence the likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Young students with birth dates just before the school entry cut-off date were overrepresented among children receiving an ADHD diagnosis or medication. ADHD is a condition where individuals have significant challenges with attention and can be overly active.