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What are the Signs of ADHD?

The signs of ADHD are the indicators that you have the
symptoms of ADHD. You can find these indicators and help others find them to. Doing this will give you the power to change your behavior and take control of your ADHD.

Don’t quite follow?
No problem, get familiar with the symptoms of ADHD and check out this article on ADHD characteristics.

I knew I had ADHD for years but it wasn't until I was an adult when I realize how it affected everyone who knew me.
I didn't have a councilor or mentor to talk with about my problems and feelings with ADHD. My ADHD treatment was incomplete. It focus mainly on medication. Because of this I was not aware of much about my disorder until twenty or more years had passed and I was an adult.

On this page I will tell the story of how I learned my signs of ADHD,
and how it helped me take control of my ADHD.

Mom was I good in church?

On Sunday mornings after church I would always ask my mother;
“Was I good in church?”
I was not aware enough to know if I was troublesome. I did understand when my mother was feeling stress or upset when I was “bad”.
I wasn't able to connect that playing with the song books on the floor was a disruption during mass.

It seems silly now, but as a child I didn’t get it.

Long Division and Becoming Aware

I was in my mid-20s talking with a friend who was a teacher, when I realized an important piece of the puzzle.

I asked her if she could teach me to do long division, since I had forgotten. She patiently began the lesson. While she was explaining the steps,
I was constantly butting in,
making fun
and I kept interrupting her,
Naturally she became quite annoyed and stopped the lesson.

For the first time I saw myself for being a disruption and
BANG!
It hit me
I got it!

It was at this moment I realized how impulsive my behavior was. I saw myself interrupting,Disrupting her lesson and being hyper.As an adult I was being a jerk.
As a child I must have been, a terror!?!?

I saw my own symptoms for the first time. Before that I never directly connected my signs of ADHD, like making teachers upset with my own impulsive and hyperactive nature.

That was a huge turning point. After that I knew I had to fix the problem. I needed to learn as much about ADHD as possible to do so. I looked for signs of ADHD in my life so that I could take charge of my ADHD.

How to point out the Signs of ADHD in your life

It is important to note that these signs can also point to other mental or physical problems. They may not always be ADHD, they can be ADHD related disorders. However, they are the initial step in becoming aware of your problems. Take the time to think about your actions and ask for help too, from family, friends and even doctors.

If these signs do point to ADHD, try this:
- As an adult with ADHD you can take it upon yourself to look for the signs of ADHD in your life. Take note of the bad things that happen to you, the stuff that just doesn’t go right.

- As the parent with an ADHD child you can help them to see their signs too. Observe and point out the problems when they happen.

Spell it out as if you are talking to a 4 year old. In many cases you will be. Track down the situations that are causing all of the problems. This will pinpoint when you are having the most difficulty with your ADHD.

Knowing when the problems occur gives you the chance to change those situations directly.

The Cold Analogy

A symptom of a cold is a runny nose.
A sign of a cold is to blow your nose or have tissues in your pocket.

A symptom of the flu is chills.
A sign of the flu is staying wrapped up in your bed.

A symptom of ADHD is impulsivity.
A sign of ADHD is having your name written on the board for outbursts in the classroom.

Inattention is a symptom of ADHD.
Not understanding assignments because of inattention during a lesson is a sign of ADHD.

It can be a lot easier to pick up the signs of ADHD than the actual symptoms. The signs are everywhere.

As a child I was not aware of my symptoms of ADHD but I was very aware of the signs of ADHD in my life. I was told I was inattentive, had outbursts and was hyper but I didn’t really know what that mean.

I knew that my name was always on the front chalkboard for misbehaving.
I knew that teachers would constantly take me aside to talk about my poor behavior.
I knew my caretakers were often upset with me.

I knew I was in trouble, but I really didn’t know why.

Basically I just didn’t get it.

The power to control your ADHD

Finding your unique signs of ADHD will give you the ability to recognize what you're doing and help you pinpoint your ADHD symptoms. We are all different and will have different strengths and weaknesses. Take a look at the articles on ADHD boys, ADHD girls, ADHD men and ADHD women. They can help even more at finding your unique mix of symptoms.

Once you know where you need to work to improve your ADHD, that is power my friend!

Now you know where to start. Get over to the treatments section and see what is available to treat your unique ADHD.

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