ADHD - The Symptoms

If you have ADHD you are likely to have difficulty with:

Concentrating and paying attention. You might:

• Be easily distracted and quickly bored
• Jump from one thing to another
• Find it hard to listen and follow instructions
• Daydream

Remembering – which means you might:

• Forget things, such as instructions, homework, spellings
• Need to write down important information

Controlling impulsivity – which means you might:

• Have difficulty waiting your turn in queues
• Start work before all the instructions have been given
• Do things without considering the consequences
• Interrupt and intrude on others
• Be over-talkative
• Make careless mistakes
• Act dangerously

Being hyperactive – which means you might:

• Be always on the go, fidgeting, tapping, doodling
• Be constantly touching or chewing things
• Have a restless body and a busy brain
• Find it hard to get to sleep

Thoughts, emotions and feelings – which means you might:

• Easily get frustrated or angry
• Quickly change from being happy to being fed up
• Dislike loud noises such as shouting or TV
• Not always get on with other people your own age
• Have difficulty coping when things change unexpectedly
• Mistakenly think people are getting at you
• Get bullied or bully someone else

Young people with ADHD sometimes have other problems, such as:

• Going on and on about things (like a dog with a bone)
• Badgering and nagging to get their own way
• Finding it hard to accept NO for an answer
• Wanting everything NOW

They may also have difficulty with handwriting, fastening buttons or shoelaces, holding pens and cutlery properly and judging distances.

Many young people with ADHD have trouble getting organised. They:

• Leave stuff around, lose things or forget where they put them
• Don';t prepare and plan ahead
• Put off doing things like homework or projects
• Find it hard to keep track of time
• Are often trying to do things at the last minute

Strengths and Qualities

People with ADHD may have some difficulties which are a real nuisance, but they also have strengths and special qualities, such as:

• Being warm-hearted, sensitive and caring, particularly with the very young and the elderly
• Being imaginative and creative with interesting and exciting ideas
• Being persistent, resilient and resourceful
• Being willing to try something new and work out different ways of doing things
• Being helpful when there is a crisis

To talk about your experience of ADHD and to ask advice from other parents visit our forum.