 An 8 @-@ year follow up of children diagnosed with ADHD ( combined type ) found that they often have difficulties in adolescence , regardless of treatment or lack thereof . In the US , fewer than 5 % of individuals with ADHD get a college degree , compared to 28 % of the general population aged 25 years and older . The proportion of children meeting criteria for ADHD drops by about half in the three years following the diagnosis and this occurs regardless of treatments used . ADHD persists into adulthood in about 30 – 50 % of cases . Those affected are likely to develop coping mechanisms as they mature , thus compensating for their previous symptoms . 
