Abstract
This paper explores the variation in diagnosis of ADHD for children of immigrants with respect to children with Norwegian-born parents and reflects upon the mechanisms driving the variation. First literature is used to predict variation in likelihood of diagnosis of ADHD after which Norwegian registry data is used to test whether the theoretical prediction holds true. Descriptive analysis is performed reflecting on observed variances in diagnosis of ADHD among children with two immigrant parents and children with at least one Norwegian-born parents. Results report that at each age the probability of receiving a diagnosis is higher for children with at least one Norwegian-born parent compared to children with two immigrant parents. Results do not provide enough evidence to support the hypothesis that children with two immigrant parents are more likely to be diagnosed later. Findings suggest that children with at least one Norwegian-born parent are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis compared to children with two immigrant parents at all ages. Variation in received diagnosis might reflect lower prevalence of ADHD, lower likelihood of being diagnosed, or “overdiagnosis” of children with Norwegian-born parents.