Test Your Knowledge: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ATTENTON DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)
2025 Update

_____ 1. Up to one percent of school aged children have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

_____ 2. All ADHD children are hyperactive.

_____ 3. ADHD is more common in boys than in girls.

_____ 4. ADHD children often have learning disabilities.

_____ 5. ADHD children usually outgrow the disorder as the become adults.

_____ 6. A thorough professional interview is usually sufficient to diagnose ADHD.

_____ 7. Individual or play therapy are effective methods of increasing attention span and regulating activity level.

_____ 8. Stimulant medication is the only known method of treating ADHD.

_____ 9. There is no known cure for ADHD.

_____ 10. Stimulant medication acts differently on ADHD children than it does on non ADHD children (a reverse effect).

_____ 11. ADHD children are typically more organized than other children.

_____ 12. Many ADHD children are accident prone.

_____ 13. Many ADHD children have messy handwriting.

_____ 14. ADHD children are motivated by most types of rewards.

_____ 15. The primary cause for ADHD is thought to be the family environment.

_____ 16. Controlling the amount of sugar and food coloring a child eats is effective in managing ADHD symptoms in most children.

_____ 17. Adults with ADHD have a longer life expectancy than adults who do not have ADHD.

_____ 18. About 5 percent of adults have ADHD.

_____ 19. Many people with ADHD also have other psychiatric problems.

_____ 20. About 10 percent of adults suspect they have undiagnosed ADHD.

Answers to True False Test

1. False. The incidence falls between four and five percent worldwide.
2. False. Children may demonstrate inattentive behavior with minimal hyperactivity.
3. True. As with many neurological disorders in children, ADHD is much more common in boys than in girls.
4. True. About one third of children with ADHD also have learning disabilities in reading, math or written expression.
5. False. Research first released in 1990 indicated that individuals with ADHD keep at least two thirds of their symptoms well into adulthood. In the adult population ADHD is often under diagnosed.
6. False. Behavior rating scales or other types of psychological testing are often used to diagnose ADHD. Other disorders may also exist (co-morbid diagnosis) or other problems may need to be ruled out.
7. False. Individual and play therapy are helpful with emotional problems. They do not seem effective in increasing attention span and regulating activity level.
8. False. Unfortunately many individuals with ADHD only receive medication treatment. Other forms of therapy, such as behavior therapy, are also used to treat ADHD symptoms.
9. True. No cure has been documented for ADHD. It is disorder to be managed in order to minimize negative effects on those who have it.
10. False. This is persistent old myth that is commonly believed. Stimulant medication simply activates parts of the brain associated with ADHD behavior, such as the prefrontal cortex. In people with ADHD sections of the brain are actually underactive.
11. False. People with ADHD are often messy and disorganized.
12. True. Many people with ADHD tend to have more accidents than others.
13. True. Many people with ADHD have dysgraphia (messy handwriting). Thus they may have difficulty expressing themselves in written form.
14. False. This is a frustrating issue. Children with ADHD tend to lose interest easier in specific rewards.
15. False. The primary cause of ADHD is actually genetic.
16. False. Most children with ADHD do not have these food allergies. Research has not confirmed the elimination of sugar and food coloring as a treatment for ADHD.
17. False. Research in the U.S. and Great Britain has discovered that adults diagnosed with ADHD may have reduced life expectancies.
18. True. Roughly 5 percent of adults have ADHD. That is almost 11,000,000 people.
19. True. Other diagnoses associated with ADHD include autism, anxiety, conduct disorders, learning disabilities, depression and Tourette’s syndrome
20. False. Actually, about 25 percent of adults suspect they have undiagnosed ADHD.