What Does ADHD Look Like in Children?
Many people have misconceptions about what ADHD looks like in children. Oftentimes the picture of a child who frantically runs around the room comes to mind, but this is a great misconception about what ADHD looks like in a child.
Many children with ADHD show problematic behavior when it comes to completing school assignments or other organized activities. This may manifest as blurting out answers, being unable to sit still for even brief amounts of time, rarely completing homework, and daydreaming when attention should be on a teacher or assignment. Many children exhibit signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity or inattentiveness.
When a child is inattentive, they are often seen daydreaming during other activities that should be occupying most of their attention, or they seem to be unable to finish homework assignments and become frustrated with schoolwork. These children are usually very intelligent, yet struggle in school because they attempt to complete assignments by rushing through them, therefore missing important details regarding the instructions of a given assignment.
For example, when it comes to showing their work while completing a math problem, a child with ADHD may not complete writing out the steps to a particular problem and arrive at the wrong answer. This may happen on a regular basis, causing the child to become frustrated.
Children who fall into the inattentive category might find themselves unable to keep track of their belongings or complete chores at home or assignments at school on a regular basis.
Other children fall into the hyperactive-impulsive category. These children struggle with talking excessively over others or constantly squirming or fidgeting in their seat. An example of this would be a child who impatiently blurts out answers in class on a regular basis.
Not all children who exhibit one or two symptoms from time to time have true ADHD. This is why it is important to see an ADHD specialist early if your child exhibits characteristics of hyperactivity and/or inattentiveness on a regular basis.
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