Gender Divide: How To Spot ADHD In Girls & Boys

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is “one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood.” Characterized by things such as difficulty paying attention, poor impulse control, and overactivity, ADHD is more often diagnosed in early childhood; however, it often continues on well into a person’s adult years. People with ADHD often present with various signs and symptoms such as forgetfulness, a constant need to fidget or move when seated, talking too much, and having difficulties with social relationships.

While there are several different types of ADHD, each with its own main set of symptoms, they all center around a person having trouble with focusing or paying attention for long periods of time. There are various factors that can go into the development of ADHD, though the exact cause isn’t well understood at this time.

There is a typical diagnostic process involved in determining if a child has ADHD. However, this process can sometimes discriminate against girls. Read on to learn more about how to spot ADHD in girls and boys.

How common is ADHD in boys vs. girls?
It is hard to determine the prevalence of ADHD in boys versus girls, because although boys get diagnosed more often, there is no evidence to support that they are more susceptible to the disorder. In fact, girls and boys may be equally affected. It’s the differences in how ADHD presents in and affects boys and girls that may make the diagnosis process and the discrepancies in prevalence rates difficult to figure out.

How is ADHD different in girls and boys?
Studies have found that the symptoms present in boys and girls with ADHD are often different. This is often regarded as the reason why boys are more likely to get a proper diagnosis than girls. For example, boys who have ADHD often externalize their symptoms so they are easy to see – for example, being overly impulsive or being unable to sit still. Boys also tend to be more physically aggressive when they have ADHD.

On the other hand, girls typically internalize symptoms of the disorder. They will typically present with lower self-esteem as well as an inability to be attentive to the task at hand. Girls are also more verbally aggressive as opposed to the physical aggression seen in boys with ADHD.

Does ADHD go undiagnosed in girls?
ADHD in girls often goes undiagnosed for several reasons, most of which have to do with symptoms and the way they present. To get evaluated for ADHD, typically a child will have to present with symptoms that are obvious at home, school, or both. However, if girls don’t have those obvious symptoms, their parents and teachers are less likely to notice that they are experiencing anything abnormal.

Why does ADHD in girls go unnoticed?
Because girls tend to show more subtle or under-the-radar symptoms of ADHD, they can often go undiagnosed for longer periods of time than boys. The lack of behavioral symptoms, specifically, is one main reason why people fail to recognize ADHD in girls. With boys, ADHD-related behavior is often disruptive enough to warrant an evaluation, but with girls, symptoms are often unnoticed or disregarded rather than being evaluated further.

Why are males diagnosed with ADHD more than females?
As mentioned above, there is a discrepancy in how often boys are diagnosed with ADHD as opposed to girls and it has a lot to do with how the disorder presents. One particular study investigated the difference in the number of diagnosed children with ADHD and found that girls may be “protected” against the disorder in a way. The study postulated that girls need to be exposed to more environmental factors associated with ADHD to develop it.

Is it harder to find ADHD in girls?
As mentioned above, it is harder to see ADHD in girls. But why is it harder to diagnose girls with ADHD? It can be as simple as the behaviors they exhibit while the disorder sets in.

For example, a boy may have increasing episodes of running around the classroom and being unable to sit through class without moving around or talking excessively throughout a lesson. However, a girl with ADHD may simply fail to pay attention to the lesson being taught. This lack of outwardly visible symptoms makes it that much more difficult to identify that a girl may have ADHD and seek out the appropriate evaluation or diagnostic process.

How can you tell if a girl has ADHD?
There are many signs that a girl has ADHD that may not appear as the typical indicators that many people are used to. For example, a girl with ADHD might read ahead of the class but not turn in any homework. She may also spend a lot of time working on schoolwork only to fail to turn it in to the teacher.

Other signs that a girl may need to be evaluated for ADHD include:

• Drawing instead of taking class notes
• Sitting quietly in class but not paying attention
• Not being able to make new friends or maintain friendships
• Seeming as though she has her head in the clouds or is often daydreaming
• Talking a lot; being seen as a “chatterbox” by her teacher

While the signs of ADHD in boys and girls are often starkly different, the more parents and teachers know what to look for when it comes to diagnosing girls with ADHD, the more their children and students will get the diagnosis they need.

 

Featured image by Ryan Scott on Unsplash