According to the National Institutes of Health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, affects three to five percent of school age children. In addition, boys are diagnosed with ADHD more often than girls. According to the Mayo Clinic, ADHD is most often diagnosed before the age of seven, though symptoms in some children appear during infancy. ADHD can impact a child's ability to function in school and interact with other children. To be diagnosed with ADHD, the child must have six inattention symptoms or six hyperactivity-impulsiveness symptoms for at least six months to qualify as a disorder.
Inattention
Inattention symptoms are a significant portion of ADHD symptoms in children. Inattention symptoms can interfere with the child's schoolwork. Symptoms include careless mistakes, attention problems, forgetfulness, inability to follow directions, not listening or following directions, being easily distracted, difficulty with organization and avoidance of schoolwork. According to the Mayo Clinic, boys tend to have more problems with their teachers compared to girls.
Hyperactivity
Another part of ADHD symptoms in children is hyperactivity, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic. However, hyperactivity symptoms may vary between children. For example, boys tend to display hyperactivity symptoms more often, while girls display more inattention symptoms. Hyperactivity symptoms include excessive talking, difficulty playing quietly, fidgeting or squirming, running around and not staying in his seat. However, while all children display hyperactivity symptoms from time to time, hyperactivity in ADHD severely impact patients' lives, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Impulsiveness
The last group of ADHD symptoms in children is impulsiveness, which is combined with hyperactivity symptoms in diagnosis. Symptoms include blurting out, interrupting and difficulty waiting in turn. In addition, impulsiveness symptoms appear during inappropriate times, like school and events.
