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.
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- ADHD and periods
- What is AuDHD?
- How to tell a tantrum from a meltdown
- Developmental milestones by age
- Understanding impulsivity in kids
- ADHD burnout
- ADHD symptoms in women
- Why kids in fourth grade often get angry
- The difference between ADHD and executive function challenges
- Developmental milestones for second and third graders
- My child with ADHD can’t wind down at night. What can I do?
- Why do kids misbehave?
- Why kids say negative things about themselves
- 6 unexpected signs that your child is frustrated at school
- ADHD symptoms at different ages
- Why some kids seem immature compared to other kids their age
- When older kids still have tantrums: What to know
- Why kids act out
- 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?
- Why some kids have messy backpacks
- My first grader is disorganized and forgetful. Is it too early to worry?
- Why kids have trouble finding the right word to say
- Why some kids are so forgetful
- Why is my child fumbling with scissors?
- Are sensory processing challenges a learning disability?
- The difference between tantrums and meltdowns
- Do private schools have to evaluate kids for special education?
- 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?
- When can kids be diagnosed with ADHD?
- How can I find out if my child was misdiagnosed with ADHD?
- Can toddlers have ADHD?
- Why does my child lie so much?
- What’s the difference between speech disorders and language-based learning disabilities?
- 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
- Why kids have trouble understanding math symbols
- Written expression disorder fact sheet
- Why kids don’t hand in their work (even if they did it)
- Is there a link between ADHD and bedwetting?
- Understanding why kids struggle with writing
- 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
- Back-to-school anxiety in kids: What to watch out for
- Trouble with executive function at different ages
- 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
- Skills that can be affected by dyslexia
- 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
- Understanding ADHD in your child
- 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
- Types of tests for dyslexia
- Video: How is ADHD diagnosed in kids?
- Signs of dyscalculia at different ages
- Signs of written expression disorder
- A day in the life of an employee with dyslexia
- Signs of dyslexia at different ages
- Can Ritalin increase anxiety in children?
- How ADHD can affect your mental health
- 8 things that go into an ADHD evaluation for a child
- Signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults
- Do boys and girls show the same signs of ADHD?
- ADHD iceberg
- Is revenge bedtime procrastination a sign of ADHD?
- Dyslexia signs in adults
- The heart health and ADHD connection
- Inattentive ADHD in women
- 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
- Trouble sequencing: Why some people do things out of order
- Year by year: Early intervention, early screening, and special education evaluation
- The difference between typical anxiety and an anxiety problem
- 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
- 7 common myths about dyslexia
- 6 signs your child is burned out
- Getting an IEP for your very young child
- Signs of slow processing speed at different ages
- Treatment for kids with developmental coordination disorder
- I just found out my child has slow processing speed. Now what?
- What’s the difference between sluggish cognitive tempo and slow processing speed?
- Brain network study shows why executive function improves as kids get older
- Learning disabilities: What they are and aren’t
- How to look for patterns in your child
- Signs of depression at different ages
- 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
- When do kids learn how to rhyme?
- My teen stopped talking to me. Should I be worried?
- 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
- Understanding why kids struggle with organization
- Video: Should I get my child evaluated? Advice from a mom (and expert)
- Child can’t wind down at night? Why some kids struggle to go to sleep
- Child procrastinating? Why kids struggle with time management
- Why kids have trouble following a routine or schedule