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| |    How Does ADHD Change over Time? by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. If your child has a diagnosis of ADHD, you probably want to know when (or if) he is going to grow out of it. I know many successful adults who had real problems with ADHD as children (many of them are the parents of my patients). For most people, ADHD changes with time, but it doesn't completely go away. Maturation ADHD changes in part because children mature. A preschool age child with ADHD may be so active that he exhausts the adults around him. During the school years, some part of his body has to be moving all of the time; he is up and down out of his seat all day. By adolescence, however, the physical overactivity may be gone, except perhaps for subtle fidgetiness or restlessness. But even though his body is calmer, the adolescent with ADHD often still continues to have problems with wandering attention, distractibility, and impulsiveness (acting without thinking). Changing demands ADHD often gets better as the demands of the outside world change. In school a boy with ADHD has to sit quietly and listen even when he finds the subject boring. Once out of school, he can find work that suits his interests and talents, where his ADHD may even be an advantage. There are many jobs that call for high energy, quick wits, and an ability to shift focus quickly. Sales comes to mind, and so does pediatrics! There are several comedians who surely have ADHD which they use to great advantage. Self-knowledge Finally, ADHD gets more manageable as children come to know themselves better. If you know that you have a hard time reading for more than about 15 minutes, for example, you can learn to break up your study time with quick walks every 10 minutes. Some people learn that they need absolute silence to concentrate. Others find that they study best surrounded by noise and activity. (During college, I wrote many term papers in a booth in a noisy pizza place.) The long-term outlook Many children who needed medication to help manage their ADHD symptoms are able to stop the medication during adolescence. Others find that their ability to study and pay attention in high school and college is much better if they continue on medication. Many adults get medical treatment for ADHD. The outlook for children with ADHD that is recognized and treated is good. When ADHD is not treated, or when children with ADHD also have a pattern of angry or destructive behaviors, they have a higher risk of failing in school and getting into trouble for illegal activities. Careful diagnosis and comprehensive treatment can make a big difference for these children.
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