A new podcast episode explores how ADHD affects children beyond attention and behaviour, and why careful assessment and sustained support at home and school are essential.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is often reduced to a simple picture of distractibility, restlessness or poor concentration, but clinicians say that view misses how widely it can shape a child’s daily life. A new episode of the podcast “Neurodiversity in Everyday Life”, produced by Life is for All in collaboration with Kathimerini, centres on that wider reality, bringing together child psychiatrist Terpsichori Korpa and psychologist Foteini Karakatsani to discuss how the condition appears, how it is assessed and why support at home and at school matters.
Korpa, who leads the Hellenic Society for ADHD and heads the child psychiatry clinic at “P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital, talks through the earliest warning signs, the diagnostic process and current treatment approaches, while also addressing the role of screens in children’s lives. The emphasis on careful assessment reflects guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says diagnosis should draw on reports from parents, teachers and mental health professionals, use standardised rating scales and rule out other conditions that can look similar, including anxiety, depression and learning difficulties.
The public health backdrop helps explain why ADHD is drawing more attention. CDC survey data published in 2024 suggest that about 7 million US children aged three to 17, or 11.7%, have a current diagnosis, with boys diagnosed more often than girls and marked differences across racial and ethnic groups. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology also points to a steady rise in parent-reported diagnosis and treatment between 2016 and 2023, underlining both growing recognition of the condition and persistent inequities in care.
Karakatsani’s contribution shifts the focus from labels to practical support, especially as children move into adolescence and school pressures intensify. That broader approach echoes a commentary in The BMJ arguing that diagnosis should be only the starting point, not the end goal, and that children and families need sustained access to therapy, school-based help and coordinated follow-up. Other research, including a study in JAMA Network Open, suggests that recognising and treating ADHD early can be important for younger children, while CDC data also show that diagnosis and treatment rates vary widely from state to state, pointing to uneven access to care.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
