ADHD Affects Movement More in Boys Than in Girls

It's likely because girls' brains mature earlier, study says

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TUESDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear to have better control of their movements than boys with the common mental disorder, a new study says.

The study, published in the Nov. 4 issue of Neurology, found that girls with ADHD and a control group of children without the disorder did twice as well as boys with ADHD in a test that compared their abilities to tap their toes, walk on their heels, maintain balance and keep a steady rhythm. The results of the children, aged 7 to 15, were compared by age as well as gender.

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"Our findings suggest that the differences between boys and girls with ADHD show up not only in behavior and symptoms, but also in development of movement control, likely because girls' brains mature earlier than boys' brains," study author E. Mark Mahone, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said in an American Academy of Neurology news release.

Symptoms of ADHD include impulsiveness, hyperactivity, inattentiveness and constant daydreaming.

Mahone called for more ADHD movement studies that look at boys and girls separately and at younger ages.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about ADHD.

-- Kevin McKeever