Health · Mental Health · 6 hrs ago
Why trying to perfect children can backfire
Parents are under pressure to fix and improve their children, even when a child’s behavior may be within the normal range.
Clinical neuropsychologist Katie S. Davis discusses this trend in her book about raising children in an age of anxiety.
Diagnoses of learning disorders, ADHD and autism have risen over recent decades, Davis says.
Greater awareness, better identification and less stigma account for some of that increase.
But she says more mild cases are being diagnosed, blurring the line between normal behavior and a disorder.
When diagnoses spread too widely, resources can be stretched thin, making it harder for children with significant needs to get professional attention and support.
Davis is not arguing against diagnoses; she says her work is focused on understanding and supporting children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Clinical neuropsychologist Katie S. Davis says parents’ efforts to fix and optimize children can blur the line between normal behavior and disorder.
Davis says diagnoses of learning disorders, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder have risen sharply in recent decades.
She attributes some of the increase to greater awareness, better identification and reduced stigma.
She says the rise is also driven by mild cases and that resources can be spread too thin when diagnoses are overclaimed.
Davis says she supports diagnoses for children who need them and wants their struggles to be taken seriously.
- Who
- Clinical neuropsychologist and child development expert Katie S. Davis discusses the issue with CNN.
- What
- Davis says parents’ drive to perfect children can backfire, and discusses the rise in childhood diagnoses.
- When
- CNN published the article on November 8, 2026.
- Where
- Davis is based in Manhattan.
- Why
- Davis says greater awareness and identification have contributed to more diagnoses, alongside a blurring of the line between normal and abnormal behavior.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Diagnoses of learning disorders, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder have risen, Davis says.
CNN published its interview with Davis.
- Expert
- Katie S. Davis
- Location
- Manhattan
- Book
- Actually, You’re Fine: A Compassionate, Practical Guide to Maximizing Your Child’s Potential in the Age of Anxiety
- Diagnoses discussed
- Learning disorders, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder
- Article publication
- 2026-11-08
What people are saying
My entire career is based on the existence of these disorders, and I for sure think they are real.
When everyone in the class is claiming to have ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it is harder for a child with real ADHD to have their struggles taken seriously.