Supporting children and young people with ADHD

Getting to know what ADHD is

What is ADHD?

The information in the section is based on the NHS's overview of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Nasen’s Teacher Handbook: SEND – Embedding inclusive practice.

ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is characterised by behaviours such as:

  • inattentiveness
  • hyperactivity
  • impulsiveness.

Both children and adults can have ADHD. It usually appears in early childhood (under six years) and can be a lifelong condition. Not everyone with ADHD displays these behaviours to the same extent or exhibits all three.

Fewer girls are diagnosed with ADHD than boys, perhaps because their behaviour is less likely to be disruptive.

Inattentiveness includes behaviours such as:

  • having a short attention span
  • making careless mistakes
  • being forgetful
  • all the time moving from one task to another
  • seeming not to listen to or follow instructions
  • finding it difficult to get organised.

Hyperactivity and impulsiveness can manifest in behaviours such as:

  • constant fidgeting
  • lack of concentration
  • excessive physical movement and talking
  • lack of turn taking
  • interrupting
  • having little sense of danger.

According to Nasen, hyperactivity is seen more in younger school-age children and lessens as they get older while inattention is more evident in older school-age children.

Activity

Think about a pupil you work with – either a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD or a child who displays some of the behaviours associated with ADHD.

  • Are there challenges for you? If so, what are they?
  • Are there challenges for other pupils? If so, what are they?
  • If there are challenges, how have you dealt with them? What has worked well? What has not worked?