Signs and symptoms
Do you think you or your child may have ADHD or a learning disability? Learn common signs and symptoms of ADHD and dyslexia. Find out how to get evaluated and diagnosed.
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Introducing “Through My Eyes”
Explore this interactive, digital experience that offers a firsthand look at the daily struggles of kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. Help others see your child differently — so they can act differently, with greater empathy and support.
Tips and strategies
- Quick tipTry to show empathy.
Kids often act out when they’re struggling with something and having trouble putting it into words. You can say, “I understand you’re feeling a lot of emotions. I’m not sure what’s happening, but we’ll figure it out together.”
- Quick tipReach out from the start.
You don’t need to wait for parent-teacher conferences to start talking with your child’s teacher. Reach out at the beginning of the school year to start building a relationship. It can take time to get comfortable sharing information with each other.
Podcast
Should I get tested for ADHD?
Wondering if you have enough ADHD symptoms? If it’s worth the effort to get tested? Host Dr. Roberto Olivardia shares his own adult diagnosis story.
Downloads
Anxiety pattern finderPDF
Anxiety trackerPDF
Calming strategies worksheetPDF
Frustration outreach and supportPDF
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All articles
- ADHD iceberg
- My teen stopped talking to me. Should I be worried?
- Why kids say negative things about themselves
- Skills that can be affected by dyslexia
- Brain network study shows why executive function improves as kids get older
- The difference between ADHD and executive function challenges
- Signs of depression at different ages
- Why are kids with ADHD more likely to wet the bed?
- 6 signs your child is burned out
- I just found out my child has slow processing speed. Now what?
- Written expression disorder fact sheet
- Trouble with executive function at different ages
- Signs of slow processing speed at different ages
- Child procrastinating? Why kids struggle with time management
- What does it mean to be neurodivergent?
- What is neurodiversity?
- Understanding impulsivity in kids
- Signs of dyslexia at different ages
- How ADHD can affect your mental health
- Why kids have trouble understanding math symbols
- Why kids have trouble following a routine or schedule
- Child can’t wind down at night? Why some kids struggle to go to sleep
- Why kids don’t hand in their work (even if they did it)
- Why some kids have messy backpacks
- 6 unexpected signs that your child is frustrated at school
- Why kids in fourth grade often get angry
- When older kids still have tantrums: What to know
- Understanding why kids struggle with writing
- Understanding why kids struggle with organization
- Why some kids are so forgetful
- The difference between tantrums and meltdowns
- Why kids act out
- Do vaccines cause ADHD, autism, and other neurodevelopmental disorders?
- How ADHD affects driving — and what to do about it
- ADHD and periods
- What’s the difference between sluggish cognitive tempo and slow processing speed?
- The difference between typical anxiety and an anxiety problem
- The heart health and ADHD connection
- Do private schools have to evaluate kids for special education?
- Inattentive ADHD in women
- ADHD burnout
- Is revenge bedtime procrastination a sign of ADHD?
- Signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults
- What is AuDHD?
- Dyslexia signs in adults
- Why kids have trouble finding the right word to say
- When do kids learn how to rhyme?
- Back-to-school anxiety in kids: What to watch out for
- Trouble sequencing: Why some people do things out of order
- Types of tests for dyslexia
- Understanding ADHD in your child
- Dyslexia and creativity: What you need to know
- ADHD symptoms in women
- 7 common myths about dyslexia
- Can toddlers have ADHD?
- How can I find out if my child was misdiagnosed with ADHD?
- When can kids be diagnosed with ADHD?
- What’s the difference between speech disorders and language-based learning disabilities?
- My child with ADHD can’t wind down at night. What can I do?
- Do boys and girls show the same signs of ADHD?
- How to tell a tantrum from a meltdown
- Developmental milestones by age
- Developmental milestones for second and third graders
- Why do kids misbehave?
- ADHD symptoms at different ages
- Why some kids seem immature compared to other kids their age
- Why do some kids daydream so much during class?
- Why do some kids have trouble counting?
- Is dyspraxia a learning disability?
- Why do some kids always interrupt people?
- My first grader is disorganized and forgetful. Is it too early to worry?
- Why is my child fumbling with scissors?
- Are sensory processing challenges a learning disability?
- How memory works in kids
- Are dyspraxia and DCD the same thing?
- What’s the difference between a speech impairment and a language disorder?
- Who can diagnose learning and thinking differences in adults?
- Why does my child lie so much?
- Why my son’s dyslexia made it hard to see my daughter’s ADHD
- Early ADHD diagnosis? Don’t forget about learning issues
- 6 places to look for a therapist for your child
- “If my kid is so smart, why is he so slow?”
- What to expect during an early intervention evaluation
- Video: What happens in an occupational therapy evaluation
- The difference between sensory processing challenges and ADHD
- The difference between ADHD and autism
- What teachers see: How ADHD impacts learning in grade school
- Why some kids don’t like keeping score in games and sports
- Why some kids struggle with spelling
- Working with money and coins: Why some kids struggle with it
- 8 reasons kids might read slowly
- Conversation starters for pediatricians to use with families whose kids are struggling
- Do I have ADHD?
- Impatient child? Why some kids can’t wait their turn
- Hyperactivity in teens with ADHD: What it can look like
- Dyscalculia in high school: 4 signs you might see
- Dyscalculia in preschool: 4 signs you might see
- Stealth dyslexia: How some dyslexic students escape detection
- Could anxiety in girls actually be ADHD?
- What ADHD feels like to me
- Types of tests for dysgraphia
- 6 reasons why kids refuse to read
- Video: How is ADHD diagnosed in kids?
- Signs of dyscalculia at different ages
- Signs of written expression disorder
- Can Ritalin increase anxiety in children?
- 8 things that go into an ADHD evaluation for a child
- 7 steps for a productive first meeting with your child’s specialist
- Dyscalculia in grade school: 4 signs you might see
- Dyslexia in preschool: 4 signs you might see
- Dyscalculia in middle school: 4 signs you might see
- Slow processing speed and the brain
- Why estimates about the number of kids with ADHD vary
- Year by year: Early intervention, early screening, and special education evaluation
- What to do if you notice learning and thinking differences in other people’s kids
- My preschooler isn’t hitting developmental milestones. Now what?
- Trouble with receptive language: What you’re seeing
- Trouble with expressive language: What you’re seeing
- Signs of receptive language disorder
- Signs of expressive language disorder at different ages
- Getting an IEP for your very young child
- Treatment for kids with developmental coordination disorder
- Learning disabilities: What they are and aren’t
- How to look for patterns in your child
- 6 steps to request an early intervention evaluation
- Rapid automatized naming tests: What you need to know
- Types of tests for developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
- Specialists who work with babies and toddlers
- 5 confusing signs of nonverbal learning disabilities
- What your child is expected to learn in high school
- Developmental milestones for 2-year-olds
- Developmental milestones for 1-year-olds
- Developmental milestones for 3-year-olds
- 5 common myths about dyspraxia
- Developmental-behavioral pediatricians: What you need to know
- Developmental milestones for high-schoolers
- Signs of anxiety in tweens and teens
- Developmental milestones for fourth and fifth graders
- Developmental milestones for middle-schoolers
- Developmental milestones for first graders
- Developmental milestones from birth to age 1
- Developmental milestones for kindergartners
- Developmental milestones for 4-year-olds
- Early intervention services: Who pays for what
- Video: Does ADHD ever just go away?
- Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) fact sheet
- Signs of anxiety in young kids
- Video: Should I get my child evaluated? Advice from a mom (and expert)