Attention disorder rising among older children (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A growing number of older U.S. children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while diagnoses among younger children have held steady, government researchers said on Wednesday. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found ADHD diagnoses among children aged 12 to 17 increased by an average of 4 percent a year from 1997 to 2006. The researchers found no significant change in the percentage of children aged 6 to 11 diagnosed with ADHD over the same period. The researchers used statistics from a national health survey that included data on 23,000 children aged 6 to 17 gathered in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Overall, they found that nearly 5 percent of children aged 6 to 17 had ADHD, a condition that often becomes apparent in preschool and early school years. Children... [read full story]