Signs That Your Child May Have ADHD

Apr 1

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in children, but many of these symptoms are overlooked or simply deemed as misbehavior.

Which is understandable. From the parent’s perspective, their children might be pushing boundaries and everyone has bad days where they can’t sit still and stay focused.

Children with ADHD are constantly facing these obstacles which can impact their life in many ways. Their grades might suffer and they might struggle with making friends.

How can you tell if your child has ADHD?

In this post, I’ll show you the most common signs of ADHD in children so you can tell if your child needs an evaluation!

The Three Different Types of ADHD

Before we dive into the signs of ADHD, let’s talk about the different presentations. Each presentation comes with a different set of challenges that children face in a learning environment.

There are three different types of ADHD.

Inattentive ADHD

Children with Inattentive Type ADHD struggle with keeping their mind focused on one task. Your child might have trouble keeping themselves organized, lose track of items, and they have trouble finishing routine tasks. Children with Inattentive ADHD are also prone to procrastination.

This type of ADHD is often overlooked or dismissed because your child can come across as lazy. Especially when they are hyper focused on activities they love doing, such as playing video games or building with legos. They have so much potential! Why can’t they just try harder?

But the reality is… they can’t control it.

Signs of Inattentive ADHD

Can’t seem to pay attention to details
Makes several careless mistakes
Often caught daydreaming
Doesn’t appear to listen when spoken to
Doesn’t follow directions
Loses focus easily when doing tasks
Gets sidetracked easily
Has difficulty managing time
Struggles to organize tasks
Loses important items
Avoids doing tasks that require a lot of mental effort
Almost instantly forgets instructions
Gets bored easily and can’t entertain themselves

Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD

Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD is the type most people are familiar with. Kids with this type often struggle with sitting still, staying quiet, and waiting their turn. They also tend to

This is the type of ADHD that most people are familiar with. Kids with Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD struggle to sit still, stay quiet, and they’re very chatty! Children with this type often struggle with self control. Kids who are impulsive seem unable to think before they act, which leads to them blurting out answers, making inappropriate comments, and they might struggle with making and keeping friends.

Signs of Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD

Fidgets constantly
Squirms in their seat
Runs around and climbs on things during inappropriate times
Always “on the go”
Talks excessively
Interrupts or butts in during conversations
Can’t wait for his/her turn
Doesn’t respect personal space
Repeatedly breaks the rules despite knowing the consequences
Accident prone
Has extremely high energy levels

Combined ADHD

Children with the Combined type show symptoms of both Inattentive ADHD and Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD. This is the most commonly diagnosed type in children and adolescents.

When to seek an evaluation

You might be asking yourself if these signs are indicative of ADHD, or if your child is just growing up. After all, most healthy children struggle with being inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive every now and again. Kids are naturally energetic!

Diagnosing ADHD requires a lot more than just reviewing a list of symptoms. If you’re concerned about your child and want to get them tested, I highly recommend seeing a professional.

Click here to check out the services I offer and how I can help you.

Let’s get started on this journey together.

Michael Koffman