@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp17091,
            	author={Nicodemo, Catia and Nicoletti, Cheti and Vidiella-Martin, Joaquim},
            	title={Starting School and ADHD:  When Is It Time to Fly the Nest?},
            	year={2024},
	month={Jun},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={17091},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp17091},
	abstract={Does deferring school entry for children born just before the enrollment cutoff date improve their mental well-being? We address this question using administrative data on prescriptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in England. Higher ADHD rates among early school starters are often attributed to a peer-comparison bias caused by differences in relative age among classmates. However, previous studies do not consider other potential underlying mechanisms. By adopting a more comprehensive framework, we can confirm that relative age is the primary driver of the gap in ADHD rate in the long term. Furthermore, we find that such a long-term gap is driven by first-time prescriptions between ages 5 and 8, which is a critical period when the accuracy of ADHD diagnosis is most important. Based on these findings, our policy recommendations include sorting children by age and refining diagnostic decision-making in early primary school.},
	keywords={children;mental health;school starting age;ADHD;England;NHS},
            }