What is ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder, which is a mental disorder primarily characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

There are three types of ADHD:

1. Primarily Inattentive presentation: Kids of this type are known as daydreamers and "space-cadets". They are children who tend to get distracted easily and get lost in their own thoughts. They have a hard time focusing, which makes them take longer to finish tasks, both at school and at home, usually being the last to finish. They tend to be introverted or keep to themselves.
2. Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive presentation: Kids of this type tend to be overly physical (and sometimes vocally) active, they are known for causing mischief non-stop, never getting tired or "running out of batteries" and causing trouble at kindergarten or school. They tend to be outgoing and "nosy" children.
3. Combined presentation: Kids from this group present with a combination of symptoms from the two other types, displaying difficulties focusing but also some physical hyperactivity.

It's also important to bear in mind that ADHD is prone to having co-morbilities: 40% of kids with ADHD also have a learning disability (such as dyslexia) and 75% to 80% will develop a second or even third psychiatric condition at some point in their lives.

This makes it harder for health professionals to correctly diagnose ADHD, as they may be presented with symptoms from more than one condition. However, girls are three times more likely than boys to be treated for depression before they're ever diagnosed with ADHD.

"Kids with ADHD are NOT bad kids! They are not scary - just misunderstood." - Bryan Hutchinson

Now that we have grasped the basic concept of what ADHD is, let's explore the differences between how it manifests in boys and girls a bit further.

Boys with ADHD vs girls with ADHD

Although both boys and girls can have any of the three ADHD types, girls seem to be more prone to having the more hyperactive-impulsive type, while girls seem to have the inattentive type more often.

Girls tend to be labeled as quiet and well behaved, sometimes going as far as being described as "the perfect child" by people from outside the family, who don't have to deal with the other side of the inattentive type, such as having to repeat an instruction over and over because the child keeps forgetting what you said. These girls are usually the students that just "need to try harder".

Boys, on the other hand, tend to be labeled as "troublemakers" or "rude", as they don't seem to be able to control their own behavior and often tend to say the first thing that comes to mind, which is not always "socially accepted", as children with impulsive traits have a hard time filtering their own thoughts before saying them out loud.

Even girls that have either the primarily hyperactive-impulsive presentation or the combined presentation of ADHD tend to try to work harder to be good and fit in than their male counterparts, probably due to social pressure.

As a result, since hyperactive-impulsive symptoms are a lot more obvious to the untrained eye than the inattentive ones, boys are usually diagnosed a lot earlier than girls. Girls are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than boys, even when they have the exact same symptoms. However, studies have shown that, while girls with ADHD tend to be overlooked and never get a diagnosis, boys tend to get overly (and wrongly) diagnosed with ADHD.

"The truth about kids with ADHD: they are passionate, talented, creative, alive with curiosity, charismatic charmers, lovable, energetic, lots of fun, smart, real smart, little negotiators (yep, they will outsmart you!), out-of-the-box thinkers, ready to rule the world, gosh - they are really smart, and have an unrivaled zest for life! You just got to love 'em!" - Bryan Hutchinson

If you want to learn more about ADHD, I highly recommend Jessica McGabe's YouTube channel, "How to ADHD".

What about you? Do you or someone you know suffer from ADHD? Let me know in the comments below.