(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, a new study suggests artificial intelligence may help spot ADHD years before a child is diagnosed. Identifying this behavioral disorder earlier could be key to better outcomes and reduce its long-term impact.
ADHD—short for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—can really impact a child’s life. But getting diagnosed can take time. Children can go years without a diagnosis because there is no single test for it. It’s actually a series of several steps that include a medical exam, interviews or surveys, and watching a child’s behavior for ADHD symptoms while at home, school, and with friends.
That’s why this study is so important, and it could be a game-changer. Here’s what happened. Researchers trained an AI model to analyze information collected during regular health care visits from over 140,000 children. The goal was to identify patterns linked to ADHD, like developmental delays and behavioral concerns. These can show up years before a diagnosis.
What’s really interesting is that the model did extremely well, with a strong performance of 0.92. So it was very good at distinguishing which children at age 5 and older were at higher risk of being diagnosed with ADHD. It did this across different groups, including race, ethnicity, and insurance status.
This is not replacing doctors because it’s not diagnosing ADHD. It’s more like an early warning tool. It can help pediatricians identify kids who may need a closer look. That way, they get seen earlier when support is really important.
Now, why does that matter? Well, ADHD can affect a child’s ability to focus, learn, and build relationships. Symptoms can include being hyperactive, impulsive, not paying attention, having trouble staying on task, or organized. They can be mild, moderate, or severe. And they can affect boys differently than girls.
So, without support, kids can really struggle in school. They may also have lower self-esteem and a higher risk of injuries, substance misuse, and suicidal thoughts.
But when ADHD is recognized early, we can step in with support like behavioral therapy, parent training, and sometimes medication. These tools can help children succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
And that’s where this kind of AI tool could potentially help. It could help spot concerns earlier so families and doctors can start the process sooner. That said, researchers say more studies are needed before it’s used in real-world care. If a parent is concerned, please talk to your pediatrician or family doctor.
