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Common ADHD Characteristics

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Common ADHD Characteristics...

There are certain characteristics that are typically seen in children with ADHD.

If you are concerned about your child's behaviour you should sit down with your doctor, and an ADHD diagnosis should never be assumed because your child exhibits some behaviours that sound similar to ADHD behaviour.

But having a broad understanding of the characteristics of ADHD can educate you about the basic symptoms and behaviours associated with ADHD, which will either put your mind at ease or encourage you to seek further medical help.

Three Subtypes of ADHD

There are three subtypes of ADHD within the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Spectrum.

Not all children exhibit all of the characteristics of ADHD. Based on the characteristics of ADHD that an ADHD child does have, they are typically diagnosed with one of the following three ADHD subtypes...

• ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type
• ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type
• ADHD Predominantly Combined Type

Common ADHD Characteristics

There are three key characteristics of ADHD. Your child who is assessed for ADHD will be interviewed, along with you, your child's teachers and other adults who have close contact with your child.

This assessment will allow a health care professional to determine if your child has any or all of the following characteristics of ADHD...

• Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity
• Inattention

Characteristics of ADHD that fit into the hyperactive category refer to how your child moves and includes...

• Difficulty staying seated
• Fidgeting and bouncing while seated
• Talking excessively
• Seeming to be in constant motion
• Climbing on things and jumping off things inappropriately
• Running inappropriately.

Characteristics of ADHD that fit into the Impulsive category refer to how your child behaves and includes...

• Having great difficulty waiting for turns
• Interrupting children's play activities
• Interrupting conversations
• Blurting out answers to questions not directed at them
• Acting recklessly without thinking of the consequences... darting into the street without thinking to look for cars, or jumping off a high incline without considering the danger.

Characteristics of ADHD that fit into the Inattention category refer to how your child concentrates and includes...

• Being easily distracted
• Not appearing to listen when being spoken to
• Having difficulty following directions or finishing tasks
• Having difficulty staying organized, often misplacing their things.

Interpreting ADHD Characteristics

Some characteristics of ADHD sound like characteristics you would find in many active energetic children.

It is important to keep in mind that characteristics of ADHD are extreme behaviours. They are behaviours that cannot be ignored and that are having a negative affect on your child's home life, their education and their social life.

Characteristics of ADHD are behaviours that have been demonstrated for years, and cannot be explained away by situations, such as a divorce, a family move or a new baby. Characteristics of ADHD are not considered to be 'typical' age appropriate behaviour.

Characteristics of ADHD are typically present in an ADHD child before your child reaches the age of seven.

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