Published by: PsychCentral
Written by: Jeffrey Ditzell
Hyperactivity and inattention can be normal parts of childhood. When those symptoms are persistent and interfere with daily life, your child may be living with ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 6.1 millionTrusted Source U.S. children from ages 2 to 17 years. It’s a mental health condition with symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention.
ADHD begins at an early age. If you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, you’ve most likely lived with it since you were a child.
ADHD also changes with age. For some children, this means they may “grow out” of ADHD as primary symptoms decrease.
Most children with ADHD will no longer meet the diagnostic criteria as adults, but just under one-thirdTrusted Source of them do. Meanwhile, research reports that around 1 in 50 adults live with ADHD, though the number could be higher.
ADHD symptoms can be different during the various stages of your life. What you experience as a child can change when you hit your teens and adulthood.
ADHD in children
In very young children, hyperactivity and impulsivity are the most common symptoms of ADHD.
Young children are more likely to be active — even while learning — and this can make action-based ADHD behaviors more obvious than those of inattention. Click here to read the rest of the story
