How is ADHD diagnosed?

ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - is a complex condition and is therefore sometimes difficult to diagnose. Because so many of the symptoms are related to child development, they can be normal at one age and not at another. Moreover, they may be appropriate to one child and not to another of the same age. In many cases, a child will show signs of the disorder in early childhood but go undiagnosed until primary school, when the demands of schoolwork make them more apparent. Occasionally, ADHD is not recognised until adulthood.



Even in adults, symptoms of ADHD may appear different depending on the person experiencing them.