ADHD in Children: Signs, Myths, and Reality for Better Understanding
📋 Assess your situation — Does this article speak to you? Take one of our 200+ psychological tests for immediate personalised results.
ADHD — Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It affects around 5 to 7% of school-age children, with a higher prevalence in boys.
In the article that follows, I explore adult ADHD and attention difficulties. If you recognise yourself in this theme, I designed an adult ADHD test that helps you take stock of the signs of an ADHD profile in you. It comes with a guide to extend your reflection beyond the results. I also wrote a book on this subject, The Practical CBT Guide, if you would like to go further.
It is also one of the most misunderstood disorders: sometimes overestimated (ADHD is attributed to any restless child), sometimes underestimated (especially in girls, whose presentation is often more discreet).
The three forms of ADHD
The inattentive form (without hyperactivity)
Difficulties sustaining attention, organising, finishing started tasks. The child seems "in the clouds," loses their belongings, forgets instructions. This form is often unknown because it generates no visible classroom disruption.
The hyperactive-impulsive form (without pronounced inattention)
The child moves constantly, cannot stay seated, talks incessantly, acts without thinking. This form is more visible and more often detected — but also more often confused with simple agitation.
The combined form
Both dimensions coexist. This is the most common form.
What ADHD is not
ADHD is not a lack of willpower, insufficient upbringing, or a "badly raised" child. It is a neurological difference in functioning — the ADHD brain does not regulate attention and inhibition in the same way as a neurotypical brain.
What helps
ADHD is managed not with discipline alone, but with a combination of adapted strategies: school accommodations, executive function remediation (speech therapy, neuropsychology), behavioural therapy, and in some cases, medication (methylphenidate) following medical assessment.
👉 Take the ADHD signs test → — detailed assessment, immediate results, 100% anonymous.
💬
Analyze your conversations too
Import your WhatsApp, Telegram or SMS messages and discover what they reveal about your relationship. 14 clinical psychology models. 100% anonymous.
Go to ScanMyLove →Join our exchange community on WhatsApp
Join the Community (waiting list)👩⚕️
Need professional support?
Gildas Garrec, CBT Practitioner in Nantes, offers individual therapy, couples therapy, and structured therapeutic programs.
Book a video session →Related articles
Highly Sensitive Child: Understanding This Trait to Better Support Them
High sensitivity is neither a disorder nor a weakness. It is a nervous system trait that needs to be understood — and that can become a genuine strength.
Inattention in Children: Understanding What Lies Behind Difficulties Concentrating
A child who struggles to concentrate is not necessarily lazy or unmotivated. Inattention can have varied causes — neurological, emotional, or environmental.
Screen Use in Children: Understanding to Regulate Without Conflict
Screens are not the enemy. What matters is the type of content, time spent, the child's age, and the family context in which they are used.
Signs of Dyslexia in Children: Recognising Difficulties to Better Support
Dyslexia affects around 10% of children. Spotting its signs early enables appropriate support that radically changes the academic and emotional trajectory.
