I think you have to let your husband know that only about a third of children outgrow their ADHD.  The remaining two thirds have it for life.

Adult ADHD manifests differently though.  Hyperactivity is less of an issue but inattention is much more of a serious issue, leading to poor performance at school, work, car accidents etc.  There are also psycho social issues such as depression over the pervasive effect of ADHD on their lives.

I have had adults tell me they have ADHD usually in the context of discussion about my own child.  Many of them have told me that they struggled and struggled and medication has been a great help to them.  I’ve found their perspective to be invaluable.  They also seem to have to work twice as hard to achieve anything that we non ADHD folks do.

It is my understanding that one does not outgrow ADHD, but rather it changes. There will be less hyperactivity as an adult and the adult has likely learned strategies to learn how to cope. Listen to or watch Russell Barkley because he givesa very real analysis for how ADHD changes. Not sure where the magic age of 13 comes from, but we were told to expect it to get worse with the addition of puberty. If you haven’t already, you can help your son by getting him support you might need such as therapy, support at school, and you can join your local CHADD group. The more you know, the more you can help.
Btw, my mom has ADD. I know quite a few other adults who do as well and yes it’s been a lifelong issue for them.

I also believe it is a life long issue. Even those who were diagnosed in adulthood will look back and be able to describe the symptoms they had as a child. It’s manifestation does change over time though.,

I also believe it is a life long issue. Even those who were diagnosed in adulthood will look back and be able to describe the symptoms they had as a child. It’s manifestation does change over time though.,

These are good responces and Nanay’s answer is what we’ve heard as well. There is also a great website/documentary about ADD into adulthood made by a documentarian who has it.

http://totallyadd.com/totallyadd-loving-it-trailer/

We learned so much from watching this documentary. It answers a lot of these kinds of questions.

My son has grown and changed so much from his earlier years to now age 11. Life has gotten so much better for all of us, but more importantly for my son. Age does help in that he’s develped coping mechanisms as they do, be we need to stay aware of how the symptoms will play themselves out with age and what new life issues he’s going to have to face with our love and support.

I agree with all the previous comments you have gotten.  I also think that when a child is diagnosed at a young age and receives the proper counseling and such they learn how to handle things over time so it may look like they have “outgrown” it.  However, if the child is never diagnosed properly and never receives the proper behaviour modification they will not improve to the same extent.  I say this because I have two adult sons who lived with their father for a time and were never properly counseled and such and now as adults they are finally getting the treatment they should have gotten when they were younger.

The jury is still out on that. Some experts say yes and some say no. My husband is 40 and he hasn’t outgrown it. He takes Welbutrin instead of Ritalin for the symptoms. Its better in some ways than Ritalin because it builds up in your system. So, you don’t build up a resistance for it like Ritalin.

Perhaps they don’t outgrow it, but develop coping strategies so that the ADHD isn’t such a problem anymore. For my husband the answer was no. His family didn’t beleive in ADHD. So, he didn’t get any kind of treatment for it when he was young. My son may also never completely outgrow his ADHD, but he may develop coping mechanisms that help him be successful. So, he may appear to outgrow it, or at least that is what I’m hoping, hoping, hoping beyond hope will help him.

I agree that experts believe only about 30% outgrow ADHD. Remember that your brain is not fully developed until early 20’s. So there are certainly changes that are going on that may result in the “outgrowing” it. I also believe, however, that by helping our kids learn how to cope they help in the changes that are going on in their brains. I and my son both have ADD (or ADHD, whichever you like). There are still times today (as an adult) where I can be very hyper. For the most part though I am just inattentive. I have learned what I need to do to cope with that to be a successful adult (an associate professor in a medical school). By interacting with a team of professions (counselors, doctors, psychiatrists, etc.) we can hopefully provide our kids with the skills they need to learn to enable them to be successful in school and as adults

I’m very curious about this as well, as my son (now 8) has had a dramatic reduction in symptoms as he’s aged (no meds - just time).

My question is: what exactly is ADHD - a prefrontal cortex delay, or deficit?

Is it both, and the delay version can be outgrown? Or is the PFC deficit version the only one that’s truly ADHD Vs. the delayed version which is simply developmental issues that have been misdiagnosed as ADHD?

Hi

My husband was diagnosed w/ adhd when he was 6yrs. old and my child was also diagnosed. In my fam. case it is a lifelong diagnosis my husband isn’t hyper or has meltdowns but, cannot concentrate as well sometimes. He isn’t taking meds because it hasn’t been that bad for him. It isn’t affecting him socially or at work in anyway.

My husband tells me that he learned to live w/ it. So it depends on the person not everyone is the same. I hope this helps a little. Best wishes to you and fam.

my son is 14 now and was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5.  I agree with many of the above, that they don’t outgrow it but as they get older they learn better ways to cope with it.  I see my 14 year old and how he has changed and is so much better than he was at 5 but he still has to remember to take his medication and keep himself in control.  Consistency and routine are the most important thing for ADHD children.  My son always used to know what to expect because of routine, surprises in his schedule lead to meltdowns.  Now that he is 14 and life doesn’t always work on a schedule, he has learned to accept changes better but if we can try to keep most things organized the changes don’t matter as much.  Living with a child with ADHD has been an experience and i learned a lot through and with my child.  He is amazing with how he has dealt with his ADHD all these years.  I don’t look at it as though he is stuck with ADHD for the rest of his life.  I look at it as my child is strong enough to be giving this challenge and he is standing up to it everyday and making the best of it!!!!! 
Good luck and best wishes!