Statistical Prevalence

1. According to the May 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital and Health Statistics publication, there are 1.623 million children with AD/HD, ages 6-11. The CDC report stated that 3.3% of children ages 6-11 (or 784,000) had AD/HD without a learning disability and 3.5% of children ages 6-11 (or 839,000) had both AD/HD and a learning disability. Taken together, approximately 7% of children ages 6-11 had AD/HD (with or without a learning disability).  Of these children, 54% of children with AD/HD and no learning disability, and 61% of children with AD/HD and a learning disability had used a prescription medication of some kind (not necessarily stimulants) on a regular basis.

2. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) periodically publishes, "The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." The 2001 version of this publication states that, "ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, affects an estimated 4.1 percent of youths ages 9 to 17 in a 6-month period."

3. The Mayo Clinic studies use 7.5%. These data were published in the January 2001 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the March 2002 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine;

4. The 1999 Report of the U.S. Surgeon General on Mental Health Report states that 3-5% of school age children have AD/HD.  Based on the the January 2001 General Accounting Office (GAO) report stating that there are 46.6 million public school students, this would mean that there are at least between 1.398 million (3%) and 2.330 million (5%) of school-age children with AD/HD (cf. 1999 Report of the Surgeon General, chapter 3 );
   

Other Web Sites:

• Prevalance Based on Parent Report
  Prevalence of Diagnosis and Medication Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (U.S., 2003) based on Parent Reports
• Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health
  The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health provides online access to survey data that allows users to compare state, regional, and nationwide results - plus resources and personalized assistance for interpreting and reporting findings.
• CDC's Disability and Health State Chartbook - 2006