The study that Sciberras and colleagues argue is ideal for examining the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) late birth date effect analyses the birth date distribution of 391 Victorian children, of which nine received medication.1 In contrast, our study2 reviewed de-identified data on the month and year of birth for all 5937 Western Australian children born between July 1998 and June 2008, who received at least one Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidised ADHD medication in 2013.
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- 1. Efron D, Sciberras E, Anderson V, et al. Functional status in children with ADHD at age 6–8: a controlled community study. Pediatrics 2014; 134: e992-e1000.
- 2. Whitely M, Lester L, Phillimore J, Robinson S. Influence of birth month on the probability of Western Australian children being treated for ADHD. Med J Aust 2017; 206: 85. <MJA full text>
- 3. Zoëga H, Valdimarsdóttir UA, Hernández-Díaz S. Age, academic performance, and stimulant prescribing for ADHD: a nationwide cohort study. Pediatrics 2012; 130: 1012-1018.
- 4. Halldner L, Tillander A, Lundholm C, et al. Relative immaturity and ADHD: findings from nationwide registers, parent- and self-reports. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2014; 55: 897-904.
- 5. Edwards B, Taylor M, Fiorini M. Who gets the “gift of time” in Australia? Exploring delayed primary school entry. Australian Review of Public Affairs 2011; 10: 41-60.
- 6. Goldman LS, Genel M, Bezman RJ, Slanetz PJ. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association. Diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. JAMA 1998; 279: 100-1107.
- 7. Whitely M. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder diagnosis continues to fail the reliability and validity tests. Aust NZ J Psychiatry 2015; 49: 497-498.
No relevant disclosures.