In recent decades, a growing body of research has indicated that ADHA (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is more common in children than previously realized. Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly one in three children in the United States is diagnosed with ADHD before the age of 6. This makes ADHD is one of the more commonly diagnosed childhood behavioral and emotional disorders. Left unaddressed it can easily continue into adulthood.

It’s also estimated that approximately 11% of children between the ages of 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. Without effective treatment, ADHD can have serious consequences on a child’s academics. This can result in things like falling behind in school, struggling to maintain healthy friendships, increased conflicts with others, and gradual dysfunction in accomplishing basic tasks.

Fortunately, this increased awareness of the prevalence of ADHD means that more and more healthcare providers, therapists, and families have the tools they need to better work together to help children with ADHD to thrive. This goes beyond prescription medications and therapy modalities, to providing parents with the support they need to be able to guide their children through a vigorous education to thriving adult life.

According to the CDC, there are some potential gaps in the synergy of the system designed to treat ADHD, in that only around 40 to 50% of young children with ADHD receive the critical psychological services they need. All too often parents immediately resort to prescription stimulant or non-stimulant medications, which could have detrimental side effects.

This is especially concerning when you consider that many clinicians note that there are three different types of ADHD. Each can influence the treatment strategy necessary to help a child and the family that supports them to thrive academically as well as emotionally.

What Are The Three Types Of ADHD?

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention offer a wide range of resources regarding ADHD and how it is classified. This includes a wide range of resources for parents as well as guidelines for clinicians and other mental healthcare providers. This includes information on how to better recognize the three types of ADHD. This is a crucial element of helping affected children thrive in their life as well as academics.

To this point Attention, Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be classified into three broad types.

Inattentive ADHD

Individuals with Inattentive ADHD often struggle and fail to pay close attention to details. This then leads to makes an excessive number of careless mistakes in schoolwork as well as other activities. Children with Inattentive ADHD have difficulty staying focused, and follow instructions, in class. They also tend to have trouble organizing and completing tasks on time, as well as exhibiting poor listening skills. They often have a bad habit of misplacing or forgetting important items.

Not only can this have a severe negative impact on the child’s academics, but it can even interfere with their general ability to complete simple daily activities, which reduces their overall quality of life. This in turn contributes to emotional outbursts and frustration.

Hyperactivity & Impulsivity ADHD

Individuals with Hyperactivity & Impulsivity ADHD often fidget and typically struggle to sit still. Most have difficulty playing or working quietly as they are constantly moving and excessively talking off-topic. Children with Hyperactivity & Impulsivity ADHD often have difficulty waiting to take a turn, as well as frequently interrupt others, including teachers, friends, and other students they work within groups.

Combined Inattentive and Hyperactivity & Impulsivity ADHD

This is an unfortunate trifecta of ADHD where the child or individual displays both Inattentive and Hyperactivity & Impulsivity ADHD. These children tend to need the most support of anyone on the ADHD spectrum.

How Is ADHD Diagnosed?

For a child or individual to be positively diagnosed for ADHD they must exhibit six or more symptoms of one of the types of ADHD as well as meet each of the following three criteria:

  • The symptoms caused problems before the age of 7.
  • The behavior is abnormal for a non-ADHD child of the same age.
  • The symptoms have lasted longer than six months, and they impair school, work, home life, or relationships in more than one setting.

They also need to have accurate clinical documentation, to get full access to the resources needed to develop an effective ADHD treatment and management strategy customized to the individual. This calls for the correct use of special codes like ICD Code 10.

What Is ICD Code 10 For ADHD?

ICD-10-CM category F90 includes ADHD as well as attention deficit syndrome with hyperactivity. It is a critical component of the medical coding requirements for clinical documentation. It’s also worth noting that ICD Code 10 excludes things like anxiety disorders, mood disorders, pervasive developmental disorders. and schizophrenia. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the F90.- the category includes the following ICD-10-CM codes:

F90.0 is for ADHD, predominantly inattentive type. This is for an individual where some level of hyperactivity-impulsivity may be present. Yet the majority of the patient’s symptoms must be associated with inattention. Attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity can also be indexed under this code.
F90.1 is for ADHD with predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type. Though some degree of inattention may also be present, patients falling under this code are primarily hyperactive.
F90.2 is for ADHD, combined type. This is an individual with symptoms of both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive type. Though neither is predominant. This is generally the most common diagnosis of ADHD are this type.
F90.8 is for another type of ADHD, including hyperkinetic syndromes.
F90.9 is for ADHD with an unspecified type or NOS. This code is generally used by a physician to report a patient where ADHD symptoms and behavior are present though the coders should query for more information before defaulting to this code.

When correctly reported as a principal diagnosis, a code from category F90.- includes groups for MS-DRG 886, behavioral and developmental disorders. Though none of the codes in this category are CCs or MCCs. Yet these codes do help note the severity of the illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM) of the patient.

It’s important to note that conditions included in the F90.- category need to be indexed in the ICD-10 code book under “Disorders” at that point the type of “attention-deficit with or without hyperactivity” determiner can be added. Terms such as “Adolescent,” “Adult,” and “Child” are typically considered to be nonessential modifiers when it comes to medical billing purposes. Though they can be critical to the physician when it comes to determining the most effective treatment plan for the patient.