Older and Wiser

This Scientific American article discusses two new studies that suggest that the youngest kids in kindergarten (the ones with birthdays shortly after the cut-off date) are far more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and put on Ritalin than the older children - likely because they are significantly less mature than kids who are almost a year older. As a result, they tend to be more inattentive, active, and impulsive.

Of course if ADHD is an underlying neurological problem as many believe, there should be no relationship between birthdays and ADHD. According to one of the researchers, “If being exposed to formal schooling at younger ages is actually causing a rise in ADHD, we must then revisit educational policy.” 

One possibility would be to emulate the New Zealand school system, where children start school on their fifth birthday or the first school day after it. 

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