Are Hispanics less likely to get diagnosed with ADHD in the US?

Despite concerns that children are being overly drugged for behaviour, there are data to suggest that some kids aren't getting the care they actually need

Luis barrels into my office wearing his Scooby Doo backpack and goes right for the train set. He's six years old, from Guatemala. His jeans often are freshly ironed, and his mother follows with her eyes down, shyly entering the room. Twenty-four years-old, she is soft-spoken and speaks Spanish in a strong rural accent. She is not here legally, but came to the US to flee an abusive husband and start a new life for her son. I've been treating him for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at a community primary care clinic near Washington, DC.

As a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, I see a wide range of patients -unaccompanied minors from Central America, unemployed middle-aged ladies with chronic pain, 65 year-old males with long histories of alcohol abuse seeking sobriety. In the paediatric clinic, though, I see plenty of ADHD, characterised by distractibility, impulsivity, trouble completing tasks, and hyperactivity.