title: Diagnostic Experiences of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This report describes the diagnostic experiences of a sample of children in the United States diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as of 2011–2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were drawn from the 2014 National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Tourette Syndrome, a follow-up to the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age at which children with ADHD were first diagnosed with the disorder was 7 years; one-third were diagnosed before age 6. Children with ADHD were diagnosed by a wide variety of health care providers, including primary care physicians and specialists. Regardless of age at diagnosis, the majority of children (53.1%) were first diagnosed by primary care physicians. Notable differences were found by age at diagnosis for two types of specialists. Children diagnosed before age 6 were more likely to have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist, and those diagnosed at ages 6 and over were more likely to have been diagnosed by a psychologist. Among children diagnosed with ADHD, the initial concern about a child’s behavior was most commonly expressed by a family member (64.7%), but someone from school or daycare first expressed concern for about one-third of children later diagnosed with ADHD (30.1%). For approximately one out of five children (18.1%), only family members provided information to the child’s doctor during the ADHD assessment.
authors.forename: Susanna N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zablotsky
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Holbrook
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Danielson
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Bitsko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States