Skip to main content
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Sign in
  • My Profile
  • Shop
  • Cart
  • Donate
  • MembersToggle
      • Member Resources
      • Membership & Dues
      • Committees
      • JAACAP
      • Ethics
  • Families/YouthToggle
      • Facts for Families
      • Resource Centers
        • Resources for Clinicians
        • ADHD Resource Center
        • Anxiety Resource Center
        • Autism Resource Center
        • Bipolar Disorder Resource Center
        • Bullying Resource Center
        • Trauma and Child Abuse Resource Center
        • Conduct Disorder Resource Center
        • Depression Resource Center
        • Disaster and Trauma Resource Center
        • Emotion Dysregulation
        • Military Families Resource Center
        • Moving Into Adulthood Resource Center
        • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Resource Center
        • Oppositional Defiant Disorder Resource Center
        • Physically Ill Child Resource Center
        • Schools Resource Center
        • Substance Use Resource Center
        • Suicide Resource Center
      • Resource Libraries
        • Anti-Racism Resource Library
        • Asian American and Pacific Islander Resource Library
        • Coronavirus Resource Library
        • Disaster Liaison Network Resource Library
        • Guns and Violence Resource Library
        • Youth at the Border Resource Library
      • Parents’ Medication Guide
      • CAP Finder
      • Getting Help
  • Your CareerToggle
      • Medical Students
      • Residents & Fellows
      • Early Career Psychiatrists
      • Mentorship Matters
        • AACAP Mentorship Network
      • Awards
        • AACAP Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative
        • Catchers in the Rye Awards
        • Distinguished Member Awards
        • Academic Paper Awards
        • Resident and Early Career Psychiatrists Awards
        • Medical Students
        • International Scholar Awards
  • LearningToggle
      • CME
        • Online CME Opportunities
        • Live CME Opportunities
        • CME Accreditation
        • How You Earn CME Credits
        • CME FAQs
      • Meetings
        • 2023 Pediatric Psychopharmacology Update Institute
        • 2023 Annual Meeting Call For Papers
        • 2023 Online Hansen Annual Update Course
        • Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
        • Upcoming Meetings
        • Past Meeting Resources and Publications
      • Continuing Certification
      • Pathways
      • Session Recordings
  • PracticeToggle
      • Clinical Practice Guidelines
      • Clinical Practice Center
        • Business of Practice
        • Clinical Care and Quality Improvement
        • Systems of Care and Collaborative Models
      • Telepsychiatry
      • Systems & Models
      • Healthcare Tools
  • AdvocateToggle
      • Be An Advocate
      • Policy Resources
        • State Workforce Maps
      • AACAP PAC
      • Advocacy and Collaboration Grants
      • Legislative Conference
      • Advocacy Updates
      • Major Action Lists
      • Policy Statements
      • AACAP & Presidential Statements
Home  »  Familes/Youth  »  Resource Centers  »  ADHD Resource Center
What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a common childhood illness that can be treated. It is a health condition involving biologically active substances in the brain. Studies show that ADHD may affect certain areas of the brain that allow us to solve problems, plan ahead, understand others’ actions, and control our impulses.

girl on swingThe primary symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention.

Hyperactive children always seem to be in motion. A child who is hyperactive may move around touching or playing with whatever is around, or talk continually. During story time or school lessons, the child might squirm around, fidget, or get up and move around the room. Some children wiggle their feet or tap their fingers. A teenager or adult who is hyperactive may feel restless and need to stay busy all the time.

Impulsive children often blurt out comments without thinking first. They may often display their emotions without restraint. They may also fail to consider the consequences of their actions. Such children may find it hard to wait in line or take turns. Impulsive teenagers and adults tend to make choices that have a small immediate payoff rather than working toward larger delayed rewards.

Inattentive children may quickly get bored with an activity if it’s not something they really enjoy. Organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult for them. As students, they often forget to write down a school assignment or bring a book home. Completing homework can be huge challenge. At any age, an inattentive person may often be easily distracted, make careless mistakes, forget things, have trouble following instructions, or skip from one activity to another without finishing anything.

Some children with ADHD are mainly inattentive. They seldom act hyperactive or impulsive. An inattentive child with ADHD may sit quietly in class and appear to be working but is not really focusing on the assignment. Teachers and parents may easily overlook the problem.

Children with ADHD need support to help them pay attention, control their behavior, slow down, and feel better about themselves.

What Is Not ADHD?

Many children and adults are easily distracted at times or have trouble finishing tasks. To be ADHD, however, the behaviors must appear before age 7 and continue for at least six months. The symptoms must also create a real handicap in at least two areas of the child’s life—in the classroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings.

If a child seems too active on the playground but not elsewhere, the problem might not be ADHD. It might also not be ADHD if the behaviors occur in the classroom but nowhere else. A child who shows some symptoms would not be diagnosed with ADHD if his or her schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by the behaviors.

Even if a child’s behavior seems like ADHD, it might not actually be ADHD. Many other conditions and situations can trigger behavior that resembles ADHD. For example, a child might show ADHD symptoms when experiencing

  • smiling childrenA death or divorce in the family, a parent’s job loss, or other sudden change.
  • Undetected seizures.
  • An ear infection that causes temporary hearing problems.
  • Problems with schoolwork caused by a learning disability.
  • Anxiety or depression.

The American Psychiatric Association defines Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as “one of the most common health disorders, affecting approximately 5 to10% of children in the United States. The hallmarks of the syndrome of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Symptoms of this condition are expressed in multiple settings and across numerous functional domains, thus demonstrating the pervasiveness of this condition.”
-American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press; 2000.)

Contents
What is ADHD?
How Common is ADHD?
Common Signs and Symptoms
Getting Treatment
Supporting School Success
The Teenage Years
Working Together
Resources

Families/Youth
  • Facts for Families
  • Resource Centers
    • Resources for Clinicians
    • ADHD Resource Center
    • Anxiety Resource Center
    • Autism Resource Center
    • Bipolar Disorder Resource Center
    • Bullying Resource Center
    • Trauma and Child Abuse Resource Center
    • Conduct Disorder Resource Center
    • Depression Resource Center
      • Resources For Parents
      • Resources For Youth
      • Resources For Clinicians
      • FAQs
      • Getting Help
    • Disaster and Trauma Resource Center
      • Resources For Parents
      • Resources For Youth
      • Resources For Clinicians
      • Getting Help
    • Emotion Dysregulation
      • Resources For Parents
      • Resources For Youth
      • Resources For Clinicians
    • Military Families Resource Center
    • Moving Into Adulthood Resource Center
    • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Resource Center
    • Oppositional Defiant Disorder Resource Center
    • Physically Ill Child Resource Center
    • Schools Resource Center
      • Resources For Parents
      • Resources For Youth
      • Resources For Clinicians
      • Getting Help
    • Substance Use Resource Center
    • Suicide Resource Center
  • Resource Libraries
    • Anti-Racism Resource Library
    • Asian American and Pacific Islander Resource Library
    • Coronavirus Resource Library
    • Disaster Liaison Network Resource Library
    • Guns and Violence Resource Library
    • Youth at the Border Resource Library
  • Parents’ Medication Guide
  • CAP Finder
  • Getting Help

AACAP Answer Center

Family / Youth

  • Facts for Families
  • Resource Centers
  • Getting Help
  • CAP Finder
  • Resource Libraries

Your Career

  • Medical Students
  • Residents & Fellows
  • Early Career Psychiatrists
  • CAP Career FAQs
  • Mentorship Matters
  • Awards

Practice

  • Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Certification
  • Clinical Practice Center
  • Telepsychiatry
  • Systems & Models
  • Toolbox for Clinical Practice
    and Outcomes

Advocacy

  • How to Be an Advocate
  • Regulatory Issues
  • AACAP PAC
  • Advocacy Grants
  • Legislative Conference
  • Advocacy Updates
  • Statements

Members

  • Membership & Dues
  • Your AACAP Account
  • Member Resources
  • Job Source
  • Committees

Learning

  • Online CME
  • Meetings
  • 2022 Annual Meeting
  • Pathways
  • Continuing Certification
  • Session Recordings

AACAP

  • About AACAP
  • Press/News
  • Transparency and Disclosures
  • Regional Organizations
  • AACAP History
  • Publications
Sign In Join Donate

©2023 The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Contact

3615 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016-3007

Phone: 202.966.7300
Fax: 202.464.0131
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##