ATLANTA, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- More than a third of U.S. children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are diagnosed before the age of 6, showing that primary care physicians are following national guidelines aimed at treating the condition before it begins to cause issues, according to a new report.
Researchers have raised concerns nonetheless that the number of things doctors must consider when diagnosing children can be difficult, especially because there can be other psychological conditions to consider.
"Since many of the hallmark traits of ADHD can resemble typical behavior from a young child, it's important for the disorder to be properly recognized, diagnosed and treated to determine when that line is crossed," Dr. Susanna Visser, an epidemiologist at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, told CNN. "But these findings give us really good information that physicians are largely using recommend practices for diagnosing children across the board."
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used data from the National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome, a phone survey of the parents of 3,018 children in the United States between January 2014 and June 2014.
The CDC report, published on the agency's website, found the mean age of ADHD diagnosis was 7, but about one-third are diagnosed before age 6.
Even though 53 percent of children with the disorder are diagnosed by primary care physicians, the research showed that children diagnosed after turning 6 were more likely to have been diagnosed by a psychologist than their doctor.
Nearly two-thirds of children, 64.7 percent, were diagnosed after a family member raised concerns about behavior, while concerns about 30.1 percent were first raised by a school or daycare employee.
The study showed that 11 percent of children have been diagnosed with ADHD, a 42 percent increase from 2004 to 2012.
Visser said that although there has been an eyebrow-raising increase in diagnoses, doctors appear to be following standard behavior rating scales and using feedback from sources beyond family members -- indications that physicians are doing their homework when determining whether children have ADHD.
"Clinical interview, in combination with gaining insights into the child's environment, might be in, a child's family health history and feedback on their behavior from teachers and parents, can all be key factors in making an accurate diagnosis," Visser said.
