Small signs of ADHD may show up years before children are usually diagnosed
Children diagnosed with ADHD at age 10 tended to have smaller vocabularies, shorter sentences, and more behaviour and mood difficulties as toddlers. Researchers tracked 590 Danish children from birth and measured them directly, not just through parent surveys.
Why it matters
ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a condition that makes it hard to focus and sit still) is often diagnosed years after struggles begin. If small early differences point to who is more likely to develop it, families and doctors could offer support sooner. But these are group patterns, not a test for any one child — most toddlers with a small vocabulary will never develop ADHD.
Who's behind it: Camilla Grube and colleagues, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC), Denmark.
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