\u201cPay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStop fidgeting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow many times do I have to remind you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou remembered to bring your tablet. Why couldn’t you remember your homework?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And perhaps one of the most common:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe can concentrate on games for hours. How can he possibly have ADHD?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For children with Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), everyday life can be filled with instructions like these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the outside, ADHD can sometimes look like a child who simply isn’t listening, isn’t trying hard enough, is disorganised, talks too much or cannot sit still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is much more happening beneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the U.S Centre for Disease Control or CDC<\/a>, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition involving persistent difficulties with inattention and\/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. These difficulties affect functioning in more than one setting, such as at home, at school or socially. And importantly, ADHD does not look exactly the same in every child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This ADHD Awareness Month, perhaps it is time to move beyond simply telling children to \u201cpay attention\u201d<\/strong> and start understanding why paying attention\u2014and many other everyday tasks\u2014can sometimes be so difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of the most persistent misunderstandings about ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child might spend an hour building Lego, drawing, researching dinosaurs or playing a video game, yet struggle to remain focused on ten minutes of homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To an adult, this can look like a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClearly you can<\/em> concentrate when you want to.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But attention in ADHD isn’t necessarily an all-or-nothing ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children with ADHD can sometimes focus very intensely on activities that are particularly interesting or rewarding to them, while finding it considerably harder to direct and sustain attention during less preferred activities. ADHD can be less about having no attention and more about regulating and allocating attention<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So the child engrossed in a favourite game for an hour and the same child struggling to complete a worksheet are not necessarily contradictory pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both can be part of ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The name ADHD can itself contribute to misunderstanding because it places so much emphasis on attention and hyperactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet many of the difficulties children experience involve a broader group of skills often referred to as executive functions<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of executive functions as some of the mental processes we use to manage ourselves and get things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They help us to start a task, organise what we need, remember information long enough to use it, decide what to do first, manage time, shift from one activity to another and monitor our behaviour as we go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Executive-function difficulties and ADHD are not exactly the same thing, and executive-function difficulties can occur for reasons other than ADHD. However, there is considerable overlap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This can help explain some everyday situations that parents and teachers know very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child knows their homework needs to be done\u2014but cannot seem to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are told three things to do\u2014but complete the first and forget the other two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They finish their homework\u2014but leave it on the dining table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They know they need their water bottle for school\u2014but somehow it disappears for the third time this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They understand the classroom rule about raising a hand\u2014but call out an answer before remembering it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It is tempting to interpret these moments as irresponsibility, defiance or carelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, however, the child knows perfectly well what<\/strong> they are supposed to do. The difficulty lies in consistently organising themselves to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working memory is another piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working memory allows us to temporarily hold information in mind while we use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo upstairs, put your dirty clothes in the basket, bring down your school bag and don’t forget your water bottle.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n An adult may think this is one instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a child struggling with working memory, it contains several pieces of information that need to be held in mind while moving through the house and encountering plenty of distractions along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They go upstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See a toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put down something they were carrying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember the clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forget the water bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come downstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then hear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told you to bring your bottle!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The child may genuinely have heard the instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remembering it long enough to complete all its parts is a different matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parents often describe a frustrating experience: their child spends 30 minutes avoiding a task that eventually takes only ten minutes to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust start!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But getting started\u2014or task initiation<\/a><\/strong>\u2014is itself an executive-function skill. Executive functions are involved in activating for tasks as well as organising, sustaining effort, using working memory and regulating behaviour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be particularly noticeable with tasks that are lengthy, repetitive, difficult or simply not interesting to the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What looks like procrastination from the outside may therefore need more support than another reminder to \u201cget on with it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes the child needs help turning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo your homework\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet’s take out your maths book and do question one.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cScreen off. Time for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’re leaving in five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPack away your things. Maths is over; we’re starting English.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Moving from one activity to another requires us to stop what we are doing, shift our attention and begin something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some children with ADHD, that shift can be difficult\u2014particularly when they are deeply engaged in the first activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can create conflict at home and in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child may appear to be ignoring instructions, bargaining for more time or becoming upset when an activity ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Predictability can help. Guidance for supporting children with ADHD recommends giving clear instructions and advance notice of transitions\u2014for example, reminders that an activity will end in ten minutes and again in five minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes \u201cfive more minutes\u201d<\/strong> isn’t giving in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is giving the child’s brain time to prepare for a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child calls out the answer before the teacher finishes asking the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interrupts a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grabs something without asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runs ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Says something and immediately regrets it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n These behaviours can be frustrating for the people around them. They can also affect friendships and classroom relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But impulsivity is one of the core areas<\/a> associated with ADHD. Children with ADHD may have difficulty waiting their turn, resisting temptation, pausing before acting or stopping themselves from interrupting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn’t mean children should never be taught boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means that teaching the boundary and having the ability to consistently stop oneself in the moment are not necessarily the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child may know the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They may even be able to repeat the rule back to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And they may still need support to practise the skills required to follow it consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emotional regulation is frequently discussed alongside ADHD and executive functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A seemingly small disappointment may lead to an enormous reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A correction from a teacher may feel overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Losing a game may result in tears or anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A frustrating homework question may end with the book being pushed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be tempting to focus entirely on stopping the reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we can also teach children what to do before, during and after<\/strong> difficult emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does frustration feel like in their body?<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can they recognise that they are becoming overwhelmed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can they ask for a break?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What helps them calm enough to return to the problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal is not to teach children that their emotions are wrong. It is to help them develop ways of managing those emotions safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At home, ADHD may not always look like the stereotypical child constantly running around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It might look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These behaviours alone do not<\/strong> <\/a>mean that a child has ADHD. Many children display some of them from time to time, and other conditions or circumstances can produce similar difficulties. ADHD diagnosis requires a proper evaluation; there is no single test, and clinicians need to consider other possible explanations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The aim isn’t to remove every challenge from a child’s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is to create enough structure that they can gradually build the skills they find difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make instructions smaller.<\/strong> Instead of giving five instructions at once, try one or two clear steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make routines visible.<\/strong> A morning checklist on the wall can reduce the need to repeatedly ask, \u201cHave you brushed your teeth? Where are your socks? Did you pack your bag?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Create homes for important things.<\/strong> School bags, shoes, keys and water bottles having predictable places reduces the executive-function load of constantly remembering where things were left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prepare for transitions.<\/strong> Give advance notice before leaving the playground, stopping screen time or beginning homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Break big tasks down.<\/strong> \u201cClean your room\u201d can be overwhelming. \u201cPut your dirty clothes in the basket first\u201d gives the child somewhere to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice effort as well as outcome.<\/strong> If a child remembered their bag independently today after forgetting it all week, recognise the progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And perhaps most importantly, ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat part of this is difficult for you?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n rather than assuming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou aren’t trying.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n School can place enormous demands on attention and executive functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A student may simultaneously need to listen to the teacher, ignore surrounding conversations, remember an instruction, locate the correct book, copy information, organise an answer and finish within a set period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a child with ADHD, support can make a substantial difference. The American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> considers educational interventions and individualised school supports an important part of ADHD treatment, while the CDC notes that behavioural classroom management, organisational training and accommodations may all be used to support students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Teachers can consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking instructions into manageable steps.<\/strong> Check that the student has understood rather than assuming they weren’t listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing visual instructions.<\/strong> A written or visual reminder means the child does not have to rely entirely on working memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking longer<\/a> assignments into sections.<\/strong> A whole worksheet can feel daunting; completing one section at a time provides a clearer goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Preparing students for transitions.<\/strong> Give advance notice that an activity is about to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reducing unnecessary distractions where possible.<\/strong> Seating and classroom arrangements can sometimes make it easier for a student to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allowing appropriate movement.<\/strong> For some children, expecting absolute stillness may consume energy that could otherwise be directed towards learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using positive feedback.<\/strong> Notice when the student begins promptly, remembers materials, waits their turn or completes a step independently\u2014not only when they get something wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Communicating with families.<\/strong> Home and school may see different aspects of the same child. Strong family-school partnerships are specifically encouraged in ADHD management.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, accommodations should be based on the needs of the individual learner rather than a generic checklist of things supposedly needed by every child with ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There can be a fear that understanding ADHD means excusing everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children still need boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They still need to learn how their actions affect other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They still need opportunities to develop independence, responsibility and self-regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But expectations and support can exist together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child who struggles with working memory can still learn responsibility\u2014and use a checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child who finds transitions difficult can still learn to move between activities\u2014and receive advance warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A child who is impulsive can still learn appropriate classroom behaviour\u2014and be explicitly taught strategies to pause before responding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support is not about saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey have ADHD, so they can’t.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is about asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey have ADHD, so what might help them do this successfully?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Perhaps one of the most important shifts we can make during ADHD Awareness Month is moving away from seeing ADHD only through the behaviours that inconvenience adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The forgotten homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The interruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The unfinished worksheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The messy school bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The child who seems not to listen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Behind those behaviours may be a child working much harder than we realise to manage attention, memory, impulses, transitions, organisation and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the next time we find ourselves saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust pay attention.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps we can stop and ask a different question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is making it difficult for this child to pay attention right now\u2014and what can we change to help?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Because understanding ADHD does not mean lowering expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means giving children the support they need to have a fair chance of meeting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Understand ADHD in children, common ADHD signs at home and in the classroom, and practical ways parents and teachers can support children with ADHD.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[89,3,4,10,5],"tags":[25,12,38,51,64],"class_list":["post-4054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adhd","category-education","category-news","category-parents","category-special-needs","tag-advocacy","tag-inclusion","tag-neurodiversity","tag-parent-initiatives","tag-support"],"blocksy_meta":"","acf":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-500x333.jpg",500,333,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-18x12.jpg",18,12,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable":" Understand ADHD in children, common ADHD signs at home and in the classroom, and practical ways parents and teachers can support children with ADHD.<\/p>\n","category_list":"ADHD<\/a>, Education<\/a>, News<\/a>, Parents<\/a>, Special Needs<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Desiree Kaur","url":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/author\/nevyr-haans\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4054"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4070,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4054\/revisions\/4070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Boy](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/9picturebyng-1co5SXHpgLI-unsplash-1024x765.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cBut they can focus on things they like\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
ADHD is about more than attention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Children](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/robert-collins-tvc5imO5pXk-unsplash-1024x709.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cI already told you!\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Starting can be as difficult as finishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"Child](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pexels-cottonbro-7015914-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTransitions can be hard too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Impulsivity is not simply \u201cbad behaviour\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Hands](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/michal-bozek-Cl2DhalcsO0-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd then there are the emotions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What ADHD can look like at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Little](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/leo-rivas-wtxcaDIdOCM-unsplash-1024x680.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat parents can do at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
What teachers can do in the classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Group](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/yannis-h-uaPaEM7MiQQ-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSupport is not an excuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Beyond \u201cpay attention\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n