ADHD in children and young people

ADHD in children and young people often appears as difficulties with attention, with sitting still, or with managing impulses, beyond what would be expected for the child’s age. It tends to show up across more than one setting, such as home and school.

Hyperactive and impulsive features are usually more visible in younger children. As children move into adolescence, attention difficulties often become more prominent: missed homework, disorganisation, last-minute panic, and emotional dysregulation under pressure. Many young people compensate well in primary school and only struggle visibly when academic and social demands ramp up.

Common signs that prompt parents to seek assessment include consistent feedback from school about focus or behaviour, growing friction at home around homework and routines, anxiety or low mood that does not seem to lift, and the child’s own sense of being different or struggling more than peers.

Lighthouse Pathways assesses children and young people from age six. Below this age, behaviour is too variable to support a reliable diagnosis. Our Children and Young People Pathway is designed to gather a clear picture from parents and, where appropriate, from school, alongside the clinical assessment.