A recent study indicated that children who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD may be misdiagnosed by teachers simply due to the age grouping of the classroom. When children are in split grade classes, the teachers tend to measure a child's ability against the rest of the children in the class. If the children span one to two years such as a kindergarten/grade one split, they will not be assessed at the kindergarten level. Whether this is intentional or not, teachers score the younger children lower in behaviour and intelligence scales simply due to the age discrepancy. This has created huge numbers of diagnosed cases and suspected cases of ADD and ADHD in young children.
More training is needed for teachers to properly apply the rating scale to screen for developmental delays and learning disabilities based on a child's actual age rather than school grade level to obtain an accurate reading.
