ADHD

Is it ADHD or just being a kid? The honest answer

5 min read · Spotless Mind editorial

Every child is inattentive, restless and impulsive sometimes

That is the honest starting point. Six-year-olds fidget. Nine-year-olds forget their PE kit. Teenagers lose hours to a screen. None of that is ADHD, and a parent who reads a symptom list and recognises their child in it has recognised a child, not a diagnosis.

Three words that separate the two

Persistent. ADHD is there most days, for months and years, not just in a hard term. Pervasive. It shows up in more than one place: home and school, or school and clubs, not only in the one setting where the child is bored. Impairing. It costs something real: friendships, learning, safety, family peace, self-esteem. A child who is lively but learning, liked and happy is a lively child.

Ask not "does my child do these things?" but "how much are these things costing my child, and for how long?"

What the comparison should be against

The question is never "is my child more restless than the calmest child in the class?" It is "is my child noticeably outside the range for their age, in ways that are causing problems?" Teachers see thirty children a year and are often a good sense-check, provided you ask them about impairment rather than behaviour.

The things that mimic it

Poor sleep, anxiety, a stressful home patch, hearing or vision problems, a learning difference like dyslexia, and being the youngest in the year group can all look like ADHD from the outside. That is one reason assessment is careful, and one reason it is worth doing properly rather than guessing.

Try this: for two weeks, note the moments that cost something, where, and what it cost. Not adjectives, moments. If the notebook fills up across settings and the cost is real, take it to your GP and the school. If it stays mostly empty, you have your answer for now, and you have lost nothing.

Educational content, not medical advice. Concerned about your child? Speak to your GP.

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