ADHD in Boys vs Girls

October is ADHD Awareness month!  So, I’d like to take a moment to discuss what ADHD can look like between boys and girls.  Boys are much more likely to get diagnosed with ADHD in childhood as opposed to women being diagnosed in adulthood, but why?  Check out these hallmarks of ADHD:

Girls

• being withdrawn

• low self-esteem

• anxiety

• intellectual impairment

• difficulty with academic achievement

• inattentiveness or a tendency to “daydream”

• trouble focusing

• appearing not to listen

• verbal aggression, such as teasing, taunting, or name-calling

Boys

• impulsivity or “acting out”

• hyperactivity, such as running and hitting

• lack of focus, including inattentiveness

• inability to sit still

• physical aggression

• talking excessively

• frequently interrupting other peoples’ conversations and activities

Boys typically become a distraction to those around them. Classmates are impacted by external troubles.

Girls on the other hand typically have internal struggles, which are not much of a distraction for classmates.

Symptoms for girls often become unmanageable after they have started college or begun parenting. This is why so many women aren't diagnosed until their 20s and 30s.

Early treatment in both boys and girls has been shown to lower negative outcomes like divorce, substance abuse, trauma, and more.