ADHD is characterised by the three core symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention.
In children, ADHD often co-occurs with other problems e.g. mood, conduct, learning, motor control and communication, and anxiety disorders.
Not every person with ADHD has all of the symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention and many children have these difficulties without fulfilling the criteria for ADHD. For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, it is necessary for the symptoms to result in a significant psychological, social and/or educational or occupational impairment in multiple settings (for example, home and school or a healthcare setting) and in multiple domains.
The symptoms of ADHD are strongly associated with attachment problems in those with a developmental trauma history. Indeed many of the larger than life ways of being, that are associated with ADHD, can be seen as strategies that have become hard-wired, having been very effective in gaining essential attention from adults in infancy.
Adapted from
NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence)
