Hacking Your ADHD Research Recap with Skye: Childhood pain and ADHD
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Jan 16, 2026 
Skye Waterson, the founder of Unconventional Organization and an ADHD researcher, joins to discuss the connection between childhood pain and ADHD diagnoses. They explore a study showing that children later diagnosed with ADHD had increased rates of pain-related medical visits, including headaches and joint issues. Skye also highlights potential mechanisms linking pain and ADHD, such as neurodevelopmental differences and sensory sensitivity. Parents and clinicians are advised to consider frequent childhood injuries as possible indicators of ADHD.
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Childhood Pain Shows Up Before ADHD Diagnosis
- Children later diagnosed with ADHD had higher rates of prior pain-related medical visits across many categories.
- The study used a large population-based case-control sample to compare ~19,000 ADHD cases to ~37,000 controls.
Specific Pain Types Were More Common
- The paper found significantly higher occurrences of specific pains: abdominal, limb, and joint pain among kids later diagnosed with ADHD.
- Effect sizes were clinically meaningful, not just statistically significant, across many pain types.
Temporal Order Strengthens The Association
- These increased pain-related visits occurred before ADHD diagnosis, reducing bias from diagnostic labeling.
- The study can't determine causation or which condition comes first, only an association.