Hyperactivity

1. Fidgets and has a hard time sitting still.
2. Stands up when expected to remain seated.
3. Runs around or climbs on things when and where it is inappropriate.
4. Has trouble playing or doing activities quietly.
5. Often up and moving around. Never seems to get tired.
6. Talks excessively.

Impulsivity

1. Blurts out answers before the question is fully asked.
2. Has trouble waiting his or her turn.
3. Interrupts or intrudes on others.

Most often, ADHD is diagnosed in elementary school children, predominantly because that is the time of life when children are being asked to act in a more structured manner. However, many are not diagnosed until later in life. In many cases, children appear to grow out of their ADHD symptoms by the time they are teenagers. Often this is not the case; rather the child has learned to control his problem by his teenage years. However, it is not unusual for a person to go through his entire life struggling to overcome his ADHD symptoms.

ADHD affects more than just the person with the diagnosis. It affects the entire family, as families find it frustrating to deal with an individual who may be unable to live up to the same expectations as other people of that age. Parents become irritated because it appears their child is not listening, does not care, or lacks common sense. Siblings may feel the child with ADHD is getting more attention, is constantly annoying them, or resents the necessary household structure needed to deal successfully with a child with ADHD.

Often it is the impact of the educational process that most affects the family, as teachers complain the child is not doing his homework or not turning in homework the parents know he has done. The child may be suspended for disrupting class or may be failing classes, not because he lacks intelligence, but because he doesn't function well in a normal school environment. This is not because the school system doesn't want the child to receive an education. Schools are set up as very structured environments where 20-30 children are brought together to learn. If one child is disruptive, it creates a difficult teaching environment for all the students. The teacher has a responsibility to all her students and is only looking for whatever assistance she can get from the parents to resolve the difficult situation.