Children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have twice as likely to be injured and need medical attention than other children, according to a recent study published in the latest issue of the journal 'Academic Pediatrics'.
More than five million children in the United States (around 9.5 percent, although it is difficult to believe such a high figure), had been diagnosed with ADHD by 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children with the disorder act impulsively, have difficulty paying attention that often affect their ability to succeed in school, and in some cases, are physically hyperactive.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from questionnaires filled out by the parents of 4,745 children in fifth grade in Houston, Los Angeles and Birmingham, Alabama, who evaluated the symptoms of ADHD. Although the questionnaires were not official diagnoses of ADHD, the researchers said that children who score high on the ADHD evaluation are likely to suffer from the condition.
Parents of children who scored in the 90th percentile of ADHD symptoms were twice as likely to point out that his son had been injured in the previous year with respect to the parents of children in the lowest percentile (the 10th) of ADHD symptoms.
According to study author David Schwebel, director of the Youth Safety Laboratory at the University of Alabama, in Birmingham:
Children with ADHD do not have those well-developed skills, and that combination of things leads them to take risks and behave impulsively, which leads them to get injured.
There were already analyzes that showed that certain ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity are strongly associated with lesions. Children with ADHD act before thinking about the possible consequences, which leads them to that higher risk.
The types of lesions collected in the study included bone fractures (52%), sprains and sprains (15%), and cuts and bruises (15%). Boys were more likely to get injured than girls. Other investigations have found that adolescents with ADHD are more likely to suffer traffic accidents, when crossing the street ...
This data is important, because if a parent knows that a child with ADHD has a higher risk of injury You have to pay more attention and vigilance to your child's behavior. Try to teach them to be cautious, to think about what they do and to recognize situations that can be dangerous.
