What separates typical energy from a pattern worth discussing?
| Typical high energy | Worth discussing with a doctor | |
|---|---|---|
| Compared with children the same age | Similar to many classmates | Clearly more than most |
| How long | Comes and goes, or follows a change such as a new school | Steady for six months or more |
| Where | Mostly in one place, such as home | At home and at school, and with other adults |
| When it calms | Settles with structure, sleep and routine | Stays high even with structure and good sleep |
| Effect on daily life | Little effect on learning or friendships | Affects learning, friendships or family life |
| What teachers say | Lively, but manages in class | Raise it repeatedly, or describe the same things you see |
What else can look like ADHD?
Several common things can cause restlessness or poor attention. Doctors check for them before considering ADHD:
- Not enough sleep, or poor-quality sleep.
- Hearing or vision problems.
- Anxiety, worry or stress at home or school.
- Learning difficulties such as dyslexia, which make class work hard to follow.
- Being one of the youngest in the class.
- Long stretches of screen time, especially before bed.
What should I do next?
- Note what you see for two weeks. Write down what happened, where, and how long it lasted. The free observation checklist gives you a structure.
- Ask the teacher. Ask whether they see the same thing, and in which lessons or times of day.
- Look at sleep and routine. A few weeks of steady bedtimes can change a lot.
- Talk to your pediatrician if the pattern holds, especially if it is affecting learning or friendships.
A game-based observation such as Mores can add examples of how your child approaches challenges, but it does not tell you whether your child has ADHD.
Common questions
- Is my child ADHD or just naughty?
- Behaviour that looks like naughtiness can have many causes, including tiredness, frustration and difficulty following instructions. ADHD is considered only when a pattern is steady, appears in more than one setting and gets in the way of daily life. A pediatrician can help you sort it out.
- Can a child grow out of being hyperactive?
- Activity levels usually fall as children grow. In ADHD, hyperactivity often eases with age while difficulties with attention can continue, which is why a clinician looks at the whole pattern.
- What are the first signs of ADHD in a 7-year-old?
- Parents and teachers often notice difficulty staying with tasks, losing track of instructions, acting before thinking, or being unable to stay seated when expected, more than other children the same age and across settings. Only a clinician can say whether this is ADHD.
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Not a diagnosis. This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician. Written by the Mores Health team from the sources below; it has not yet been reviewed by a clinician.