A psychologist shares why it suddenly feels like every child has ADHD — and why parents shouldn't rush to diagnosis

Dr.

Katie S.

Davis is a neuropsychologist who specializes in childhood learning disorders.

Nelson Diaz, NylaGray Photography Dr.

Katie S.

Davis is a clinical neuropsychologist who evaluates children for learning disorders.

She said some parents are rushing to diagnose their children for normal kid behavior.

She suggested some softer interventions before booking an evaluation appointment.

Over years of evaluating children for learning disorders , Dr.

Katie S.

Davis noticed an interesting phenomenon: Some parents seemed visibly disappointed when she told them their kids didn't meet the criteria for ADHD or autism.

"I found that those conversations can be more difficult to have than with a parent whose kid is really disabled and whose needs are very high," Davis, a clinical neuropsychologist and author of "Actually, You're Fine," told Business Insider.

Though she would try to reassure those parents that their concerns about their children's behavior were valid and worth addressing even without a formal diagnosis, "it's not as tangible or concrete as parents want, and they often leave the conversation feeling dissatisfied." Parent-reported diagnoses of several childhood developmental and learning conditions have increased in recent years.

For example, the estimated share of US children ages 3 to 17 with a current ADHD diagnosis rose from 8.6% in 2016 to 10.5% in 2023.