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Many children go years without an ADHD diagnosis, missing the opportunity for early intervention
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An AI model can calculate a child’s risk of developing ADHD
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Early intervention is key to better educational, social and health outcomes
WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2026 (NewsDay News) – Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, affects millions of children, but many go years without a diagnosis and miss out on early support.
Now, a new study from Duke Health, published April 27 in the journal The nature of mental healthsuggests that artificial intelligence can help change that.
“We have this incredibly rich source of information in electronic health records,” said the lead author Elliot Hilldata scientist at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. “The idea was to see if the patterns hidden in this data would help us predict which children would later be diagnosed with ADHD, before that diagnosis would normally occur.”
Hill and his colleagues created an AI model that calculated a child’s risk of developing ADHD—years before a typical diagnosis.
The AI model examined the medical data of more than 140,000 children with and without ADHD from birth to early childhood. It examines the combination of developmental, behavioral, and clinical symptoms that often precede diagnosis.
The model proved to be very accurate in predicting future ADHD in children aged 5 and older. Results were stratified by sex, race, ethnicity, and insurance status.
The researchers say the tool could indicate children for earlier assessment, diagnosis and support. This is important because early intervention is associated with better academic, social and health outcomes.
“This is not an AI doctor,” said the senior author Dr. Matthew Engelhardalso from Duke University School of Medicine. “It’s a tool that helps clinics focus their time and resources so that kids who need help don’t fall through the cracks or wait years for a response.”
More information
The National Institutes of Health has more information ADHD.
SOURCE: Health Day TVApril 29, 2026
What does this mean for you?
AI can identify early ADHD-related patterns in everyday medical data and help identify children who may benefit from earlier assessment and intervention.
