nearly 70 percent of people with adult ADHD didn’t meet the criteria for the disorder based on reports from their moms and teachers that were collected when the participants were five, seven, 10, and 12 years old
So most people with adult adhd had mothers and teachers who did not think they had it as children. Two main reasons for this as far as I can tell:
more than 5,000 children, who were assessed for ADHD at age 11 and again at 18 or 19. In their late teens, nearly 12 percent had ADHD but, among those, only 12 percent had received a childhood diagnosis.
In other words: 12% of the "adults" who got diagnosed with ADHD did not get that diagnose at age 11.
Agnew-Blais has a few possible explanations for the findings: One, adult ADHD could be a distinctly different disorder from childhood ADHD. Two, other mental health problems, such as anxiety, can mimic the symptoms of ADHD, and it’s possible that a proper diagnosis was never made. And three, people with late-onset ADHD could have had ADHD in childhood but it was never picked up.
“Many kids who would be considered ‘sub-threshold’ to ADHD when they’re younger can get by,” he says. “If you have a person who is quite bright and meets the demands of school quite well, ADHD doesn’t show up as a problem. I can’t tell you how many adults I diagnose with ADHD who say school was a breeze.”
when someone becomes an adult and has different responsibilities, such as children and a demanding job that requires constant attention, the symptoms can manifest themselves.
This is a very good explanation for me noticing the symptoms, and it affecting me more and more in the last few years – responsibility etc. at work and in family has increased.
via:: [[../Notes/a.You Can Have Adult ADHD And Not Know It SELF]]