ADHD and Hearing Health Background Information

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder. It is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity, inattention, and in some cases, hyperactivity. People with ADHD can be very successful in life. But without appropriate identification and treatment, ADHD can have serious consequences, including school failure, depression, conduct disorder, failed relationships, and substance abuse. Early identification and treatment are extremely important. (Source: CHADD)

Studies show that hearing loss frequently coexists with ADHD. What’s more, children struggling with undiagnosed hearing loss often exhibit similar behavior characteristics as those with ADHD. Academic performance, completing assignments, carrying out multistep directions, sustaining attention during oral presentations, and remembering information that is presented orally can be problematic for children with either ADHD or undetected hearing loss. Impulsiveness, acting out, inappropriate responses to questions, low self esteem, and difficulty with social interactions also challenge children struggling with either condition.

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioral disorder in children in the United States today. Four to 7 million children (5 to 9% of the population) and 9 to 13 million adults (4 to 6% of the population) in the United States have ADHD. At the same time, about 1.1 million young people under the age of 18 in the United States have hearing loss, and only 16 percent of them use hearing aids. Studies show that children with even mild hearing loss, when left unaddressed, are at risk for learning and other social, emotional, behavioral, and self-image problems. Hearing loss should be considered a possible cause of a child’s symptoms when making a careful and accurate ADHD diagnosis. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists can contribute important information necessary for the initial diagnosis of the disorder. And when hearing loss or auditory-related communication disorders are found to co-exist with ADHD, the child should have access to a full range of services and supports to meet his or her needs.

Below are statistics on hearing loss and ADHD.

Hearing Loss Statistics

The Better Hearing Institute study, “Are 1 Million Dependents in America with Hearing Loss Being Left Behind?” found the following:

	Hearing loss leaves children vulnerable to other problems, according to three out of four parents of children with hearing loss.
	Common problem areas include: social skills (52%), speech and language development (51%), grades in school (50%), emotional health (42%), relationships with peers (38%), self-esteem (37%), relationships with family (36%).
	The study found no evidence of the use of any form of hearing assistance in the classroom (e.g. FM systems, hearing aids, speakers), other than front-row seating.

In a 2008 BHI study only 16 percent of children under the age of 18 with hearing loss use hearing aids; yet an estimated 1.1 million youth under the age of 18 have hearing loss that may be improved with amplification.
Compounding the problem is the increased use of portable media devices, such as Mp3 players, which children and teens are listening to at high volume levels and for long periods of time through earbuds, putting their hearing at risk.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 12.5 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years—or approximately 5.2 million youth—have some form of permanent hearing damage attributed to excessive exposure to noise.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, one in every five teens has at least a slight hearing loss; five percent of children have a mild or worse hearing loss; the proportion of teens in the United States with any form of hearing loss has increased by one-third in the last 15 years.

ADHD Statistics
Source: National Resource Center on ADHD

There are several sources for information on the statistical prevalence of ADHD among school-age children. These include:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication Vital and Health Statistics (September 2007). Some of the findings in this publication include:

	There are 4.5 million children ages 3 to 17 (7% of this age group) with ADHD.
	Boys are more than twice as likely to have ADHD, with 11% of boys in this age range having the disorder and 4% of girls.
	When compared with children who have excellent or very good health, children who have fair or poor health status are nearly 3 times more likely to have ADHD (7% vs. 19%).

CDC publication Vital and Health Statistics (July 2008) reports that the incidence of ADHD diagnoses increased an average of 3% annually between 1997 and 2006.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) periodically publishes The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. The 2001 version of this publication states: "ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, affects an estimated 4.1 % of youths ages 9 to 17 in a 6-month period." The 2008 edition states: "The median age of onset of ADHD is 7 years..."
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA; January 2001) and Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (March 2002) cite Mayo Clinic studies that use 7.5%.
Report of the U.S. Surgeon General on Mental Health (1999) states that 3 to 5% of school-age children have ADHD. Based on the January 2001 General Accounting Office (GAO) report stating that there are 46.6 million public school students, this would mean there are at least between 1.4 million (3%) and 2.3 million (5%) school-age children with ADHD (cf.1999 Report of the Surgeon General, chapter 3)
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR, Sept. 2, 2005) reports:

	Between 3 and 7% of school-age children have ADHD.
	Prevalence rates vary between states, with Colorado having the lowest rate at 5% and Alabama having the highest rate of 11.1%.
	2.5 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 (56% of those diagnosed) received medication treatment for ADHD as of 2003.
	Children between the ages of 9 and 12 showed the highest prevalence of medication treatment for ADHD as of 2003.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer Data and Statistics on ADHD through the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.