• Often has difficulty giving close attention to detail and making careless mistakes in their work.
• Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or activities.
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
• Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork or tasks.
• Often has difficulty organising tasks and activities.
• Often avoids, dislikes or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time.
• Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities.
• Often easily distracted.
• Often forgetful in daily activities.

• Often fidgets, taps hand or feet or squirms in their seat.
• Often leaves seat in situations where remaining seated is expected.
• Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is not appropriate, or in adolescents this may be limited to feeling restless.
• Often unable to play or take part in leisure activities quietly.
• Often on the go or acting as if driven by a motor.
• Often talks excessively.
• Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed.
• Often has trouble waiting their turn.
• Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g. butts into conversations or games).

Every child, young person and adult with ADHD is different. What ADHD looks like for one person is different from what it will look like for another. Identifying and highlighting strengths, positive qualities, challenges and opportunities is most effective in engineering appropriate provision. Pupils may not be conscious of their behaviours, defence mechanisms or masking. Sensitively supporting them to understand themselves can be really empowering.

ADHD Voices interviewed over 150 children in the United States and the United Kingdom, recruited from NHS Trusts, university clinics and community paediatric centres about their experiences of ADHD. This video uses some of the actual interviews to explain what it is like to have ADHD.

They have also created this video with information specifically for teachers.

Masking is a term used to describe someone trying to hide their neurodivergence. People do this because, to others, their neurodivergent behaviours may not be socially acceptable so masking them can feel safer. For example, a comfortable way for someone with ADHD to sit on a chair may look different to what is expected in the classroom. A child with ADHD may make extra effort to sit on a chair in a way that is expected but this takes up extra energy, focus and attention than for their neurotypical peers.

Masking can cover up a wide range of neurodivergent behaviours to try to meet social and classroom expectations. It can also include copying other people, usually those who appear to be fitting in with expectations, or perfectionism coming from a desire to please others and conform. Masking is often not done consciously but whether conscious or not, long-term is it is associated with anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and burnout.

Masking can be the reason a pupil may present as achieving well, fitting in, and participating at school but parents report meltdowns, exhaustion, and anxiety at home. Everyone masks things at times, for example, you may have to pretend you are feeling happy when you are feeling sad. People who are neurodivergent are always neurodivergent and therefore will always have to mask to appear neurotypical, which is exhausting.

Taking time to understand an individual’s experience can support making school a more neurodivergent friendly place. Establishing trusted relationships and making reasonable adjustments to acknowledge sensory, emotional, and social needs will support pupils with ADHD. Respecting and accepting difference where no harm is being caused to themselves or others may mean that pupils with ADHD feel they have to mask less, giving them greater capacity for other things.

This quick guide to masking [Size: 431 KB, File: PDF] gives more information about things to consider.

Masking has perhaps led to a common misconception that more boys than girls have ADHD. Whilst more boys than girls are currently diagnosed, many women are being diagnosed later in life. Girls and women may experience ADHD symptoms differently to boys and men. Girls are often particularly good at masking their symptoms, although boys mask their symptoms too.

In female-identifying people ADHD symptoms may look like:

• A greater likelihood of displaying inattentive symptoms without hyperactivity or impulsiveness
• Feeling overwhelmed when making decisions
• Feeling overwhelmed in social situations
• Trouble making friends
• Worrying, anxiety and mood swings
• Struggling to relax or unwind
• Symptoms varying with hormone fluctuations, particularly for those who have menstrual cycles

This video shows a group of young people discussing their experiences of having ADHD.

It is important to remember ADHD presentation will vary depending on the individual. Not all women and girls will present this way and ADHD can look like this in male-identifying people.