Children and teens with ADHD

What does ADHD look like in children and teenagers?

Because ADHD is neurodevelopmental (i.e. dependent on brain development) it's not possible to make an accurate assessment until the age of five or six years. This is when the type of behaviours, often seen in those with ADHD, would be considered grossly immature for their age and a significant departure from typical neurodevelopment.

Data from the Ministry of Health suggests 2.4% of those 18 years and younger have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Graph showing percentage of New Zealand children's prevalence to ADHD between 2011 to 2020.

If your child has ADHD this means they have to work much harder to control and filter attention, behaviours, emotions that come naturally to others of the same age. This is the nature of the "disordered" part. It commonly results in significant fatigue and an even more profound loss of control by the end of the school day

Common Symptoms of ADHD in Early Development and Childhood

Each person is likely to vary in the type, number, frequency and severity of their ADHD behaviour/symptoms but there are some definite commonalities.

Click on each heading or "+" to find out more.

POSSIBLE Early signs

on the go
cries easily
poor sleeper
reflux is more likely
difficulty maintaining friends
takes longer to/difficult to settle
climbs and runs rather than walks, or
can push in, shove, snatch, blurt out things without noticing others.

InattentiVE BEHAVIOUR

easily distracted
forgetting instructions
extreme difficulty focusing when bored
trouble staying on task, don't finish tasks
frustrated by tasks requiring sustained focus
difficulty moving focus on fun activity to a routine task, or
can't switch focus between multiple tasks or topics without getting lost.

Hyperactive behaviour

fidgets and wriggles
has a “driven” quality, runs and jumps
talking excessively (often more in girls)
excessive restlessness, in constant motion
has difficulty in sitting still or staying seated
restless sleeper and/or has difficulty settling into sleep
shows a lot of purposeless activity (i.e., not for a particular reason), or
insatiable (constantly seeking stimulation and entertainment, sometimes negative).

Impulsive behaviour

interrupting
unpredictable behaviour
intruding in others' personal space
shouting or blurting out answers or secrets
acting without thinking of what might happen
pushing in or walking over others and not noticing, or
immediate regret and guilt that did or said something but frequently "didn't mean it"

Emotional Impulsivity/dysregulation

impatient
low self-esteem
highly emotional
easily upset by others
difficulty controlling temper
easily frustrated and tantrums
can overreact to pain and sounds, or
trouble in friendships and relationships.

executive dysfunction

often loses things
forget things needed
generally disorganised
poor concept of time and often late
little to no planning or thinking ahead, or
little to no automatic reflection (thinking) about actions or consequences.

MORE LIKELY TO HAVE OTHER CHALLENGES

messy handwriting
allergies, ezcema and asthma
specific learning disabilities in reading, writing or math
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Anxiety, Anger, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or
Dyspraxia or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) - Clumsy, poor balance, movement coordination, core muscle control, poor ball skills, mixed left-right dominance.

COMMON ASSOCIATED Physical TROUBLES

digestive upset
allergies, eczema, asthma
poor temperature sense and control
headaches, muscle or stomach pains
food and drink cravings i.e. sugar or milk
ear troubles: including grommet insertions, infections and glue ear, or
eye troubles: including visual tracking, dark circles, puffiness and including allergic rhinitis.

Common Behaviours and Symptoms of ADHD in Adolescence

Each person is likely to vary in the type, number, frequency and severity of their ADHD behaviour/symptoms but there are some definite commonalities.

Click on each heading or "+" to find out more.

Behaviour

poorly organised
disorganised and untidy
forgetful, loses things
feelings of being overwhelmed
often late (poor time management)
day-dreamy and distracted in their head
slow to process information and directions
difficulty in getting things done "properly"
easily distracted and finds it hard to focus
emotionally immature but intuitive, empathetic and kind
difficulty concentrating and focusing, finds it hard to complete tasks, or
impulsive behaviour, takes unnecessary risks for the fun of it, can’t see the consequences of actions.

School

finds studying extremely boring, frustrating and procrastinates, or
has trouble keeping up with demands of homework and poor motivation (unless they love the subject).

Moving

if experienced hyperactivity, this has settled but are still fidgety, jittery or restless, or
driving erratically, has lots of minor accidents, some afraid to drive at all.

socialising

interrupts others
talking excessively without necessarily noticing if others are bored or not interested
getting upset quickly, over-reacting and not calming self quickly so appearing emotionally volatile
attracted to exciting people/relationships that can be unhealthy or destructive (without meaning too)
eats/drinks or does recreational drugs to calm themselves down or to excite them with little to no thought about the consequences
being a highly empathetic "emotional sponge" and so can be attracted to helping others but also very affected by their emotional states, or
has significant friendship issues - often due to missing/not paying attention to the social cues of others (resulting in offending or upsetting them thoughtlessly, rather than on purpose).

Photo by Sasint