ADHD in kids

What It Means

ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a condition in which a child has lasting trouble paying attention, controlling behavior or keeping still, more than other children the same age and in more than a passing way. CDC describes three presentations: mainly inattentive, mainly hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. A diagnosis comes from a doctor or other clinician after an evaluation, and the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) 2019 clinical practice guideline covers children from age 4 to 18.

How Parents Say It

• "His teacher says he can't stay in his seat."
• "She loses her homework every single week."
• "We're getting him evaluated for ADHD."

The Breakdown

What the AAP guideline and CDC say, by age

CDC explains why behavior therapy comes first for young children: parent training has been shown to work as well as medicine at that age, young children have more side effects from ADHD medicines, and long-term effects in young children aren't well studied.

Signs, as CDC groups them. Trouble staying focused and paying attention, trouble controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. Many young children show some of these some of the time, which is why a diagnosis needs an evaluation by a clinician rather than a checklist.

When to talk to the doctor. The 2019 guideline says a pediatrician should start an ADHD evaluation for any child from age 4 to the 18th birthday who has academic or behavioral problems along with inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity. Book a visit, and bring notes from home and from your child's teacher about what you've each seen.

Good to Know

The AAP guideline was published in Pediatrics in October 2019 and is the latest version the fact check found. At school, a child with ADHD may qualify for a Section 504 plan504 planA school's plan of supports for a student whose disability substantially limits a major life activity, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. See more or, if the ADHD affects learning enough to need special education, an IEPIEPAn IEP (Individualized Education Program) is the written plan a public school makes for a child who qualifies for special education under IDEA. See more; you can ask the school in writing for an evaluation. Medicine decisions belong with your child's doctor.

Related Terms and Categories

• Executive function

  The mental skills that let a person plan, focus, remember instructions and control impulses: working memory, mental flexibility and self-control.

• 504 plan

  A school's plan of supports for a student whose disability substantially limits a major life activity, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

• IEP

  An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is the written plan a public school makes for a child who qualifies for special education under IDEA.

• Evaluation request

  A request, usually from a parent, that the public school evaluate a child for a disability and special education services under IDEA.

• Neurodivergent

  A nonmedical word for a person whose brain develops or works differently from what's considered typical, as with autism, ADHD or a learning disability.

• Self-regulation

  A child's growing ability to manage their own feelings, attention and actions, like calming down, waiting a turn or sticking with a hard task.

Parenting and child development