A study found that children and adolescents diagnosed there today are more similar to the general population than those diagnosed a decade ago.

As ADHD and autism diagnoses rise in Denmark, the children and adolescents receiving them increasingly resemble the broader population in their birth histories, family backgrounds, and other measured characteristics. A new study suggests that understanding the increase requires looking at how the diagnosed population has changed, alongside possible changes in the underlying risk of developing these conditions.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects attention and impulse control, while autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects social communication and patterns of behavior. The study found that several characteristics historically more common among young people with these diagnoses became less distinctive between 2012 and 2022.