Already identified by experts as the most common behavior health diagnosis among youngsters enrolled in Medicaid, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is even more prevalent in children in foster care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found.
In fact, in research set to be presented Monday during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2015 National Conference & Exhibition in Washington, DC, the CDC reported that foster children are three times more likely than other kids to receive an ADHD diagnosis from their doctors.
An analysis of 2011 Medicaid outpatient and prescription drug claims from several US states has revealed than more than one-fourth of all children between the ages of 2 and 17 who were placed in foster care received such a diagnosis, compared to about one-in-14 of all others in Medicaid.
Furthermore, the study found that foster children with ADHD were also more likely to receive a diagnosis for another condition such as oppositional defiant disorder, depression, or anxiety, with nearly half receiving such a diagnosis versus one-third of non-foster children with ADHD.
Findings reveal a substantial need for treatment in foster care
Dr. Melissa Danielson, lead author of the study and a statistician with the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said that these findings demonstrate a need for substantial medical and behavior services exists for ADHD children living in foster care.
The study also found that these youngsters were about as likely as non-foster care ADHD kids to be treated with medications, but were also more likely to have received psychological services, a finding that Dr. Danielson described as promising in light of the fact that experts recommend the use of behavior therapy in both pre-school and school-age children with the condition.
“As we work to improve the quality of care for children with ADHD, it will be important to consider the needs of special populations, including those in foster care,” she said in a statement. “Working together, primary care and specialty clinicians can best support the health and long-term well-being of children with ADHD.”
Previous CDC research found that 11 percent of school-aged children in the US had received an ADHD diagnosis, which works out to nearly 6.5 million youngsters. As of 2011, the percentage of health care providers to have given such a diagnosis had increased by 42 percent in less than a decade, and the percentage of kids taking ADHD medication spiked 28 percent since 2007.
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