In adolescence and adulthood, both those diagnosed and undiagnosed with ADHD in childhood are often associated with continuing emotional and social problems, including substance misuse, unemployment and involvement in crime.

Unfortunately, as there is no one definitive clinical test for ADHD, diagnosis can be difficult. Many students have problems with self-control periodically and it is difficult to know when this is ‘ordinary’ development or when it could be as a result of ADHD.

There may be other causes of disruptive behaviour, such as dyslexia, language or hearing difficulties, or conduct disorder, which need to be considered (although these problems may also affect students with ADHD). For these reasons, a diagnosis of ADHD should only be made by a child and adolescent psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional (HCP) with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD and other mental health conditions.

It is likely that, as the student’s teacher, you may be asked to provide information to enable the diagnosis to be made or progress to be monitored.

The diagnosis of ADHD can be confirmed upon meeting specific criteria (DSM-5) and also the ADHD symptoms must have been present before the age of 12 years, for the duration of at least 6 months, occurring in more than one place (e.g. both at home and school), not appropriate to the student’s developmental age and must be seriously disruptive to their performance.