I'm not expert, but I took a course in this a couple of months ago, so I have to add this: "Differing cultural standards might also influence prevalence. Ratings in the United Kingdom and China showed that almost three times as many Chinese boys were identified [as showing symptoms of ADHD]. On closer examination, it was revealed that the Chinese boys were actually more attentive and less active than the U.K. boys." (Behavior Disorders of Childhood, p. 245, 2003)
Speaking entirely anectdotally, I think some of the differences in perception about these disorders may depend on where one lives. I grew up in a small Canadian town, and in a very white/Chinese/Iranian part of Toronto, and the majority of kids I knew who were on Ritalin were white males - because there were perhaps 5 black males at the school. And I did wonder about the diagnoses that led to the prescriptions - it wasn't like this when I was in elementary school, but by the time my brother got there, half the boys in his grade were on Ritalin, along with a few of the girls (that's about 10 of 60 students); if there are a lot of cases like my brother's class, that could certainly make many people wonder whether or not ADHD is overdiagnosed.
That said, blaming parenting when there's no evidence that it has anything to do with ADHD or autism is a horrible thing for anyone to do.
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Date: 2005-11-11 04:02 pm (UTC)Speaking entirely anectdotally, I think some of the differences in perception about these disorders may depend on where one lives. I grew up in a small Canadian town, and in a very white/Chinese/Iranian part of Toronto, and the majority of kids I knew who were on Ritalin were white males - because there were perhaps 5 black males at the school. And I did wonder about the diagnoses that led to the prescriptions - it wasn't like this when I was in elementary school, but by the time my brother got there, half the boys in his grade were on Ritalin, along with a few of the girls (that's about 10 of 60 students); if there are a lot of cases like my brother's class, that could certainly make many people wonder whether or not ADHD is overdiagnosed.
That said, blaming parenting when there's no evidence that it has anything to do with ADHD or autism is a horrible thing for anyone to do.