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ADHD

ADHD describes a brain that regulates attention and drive differently. Focusing on what does not grab you straight away is hugely costly, whereas a fascinating subject can hold attention for hours.

Attention is not absent, it is hard to direct on command. Hence the lapses, the objects that vanish, the sentences thrown out before the thought is finished, and sometimes an inner restlessness that does not show but is draining.

The word that comes up most for the people concerned is not "restless", it is "exhausting". Holding the thread of an ordinary day takes an effort that others do not have to make, and that effort is invisible.

Hence a constant gap: a lot of energy spent, for a result that does not reflect the work put in. Understanding this gap means no longer reading the lapses as carelessness.

What ADHD is not

It is neither a lack of intelligence, nor a failure of upbringing, nor something that "goes away with age" through sheer willpower. It is a way of functioning that can be accommodated, and that often comes with real strengths: creativity, responsiveness, the ability to dive in when the subject is motivating.

It varies from one moment to the next

  • attention holds better in the morning, or on what is interesting,
  • a long instruction gets lost, a short one gets through,
  • impulsivity rises with fatigue and noise,
  • a clear framework does more than a thousand reminders.
Key figures

ADHD in a few figures

  • ~ 11,4 %of US children aged 3-17 have ever been diagnosed with ADHD (2022 estimate).Source: CDC, 2024.
  • ~ 4,4 %of US adults estimated to have ADHD, with many cases still undiagnosed.Source: NIH / NIMH.
  • ~ 5 %of children and 3-4 % of adults in the UK estimated to have ADHD.Source: NICE / NHS England.
  • ~ 2xmore boys than girls diagnosed in childhood, gap narrows or reverses in adulthood.Source: CDC ; NHS UK.
  • ~ 50 %of children with ADHD also meet criteria for at least one co-occurring condition.Source: CDC.

Possible accommodations

A few simple supports, to adapt according to age:

  • At school: a support plan (PAP, a school support plan for students with specific needs, in France), instructions broken into steps, extra time, a quiet seat.
  • At work: RQTH (official recognition of disability status, in France, via the MDPH, the local disability office) for flexible hours, a quiet space or organisation tools.
  • In daily life: short lists, visual reminders, one thing at a time, and breaks to move around.

Explanations based on your profile

Choose a profile to read the matching explanation.

ADHD explained to a Child

0–12 years old

ADHD is a brain that has trouble sorting things out. Imagine you're watching TV, someone is talking next to you, a toy is lying on the floor... Normally, your brain picks out what matters right now. With ADHD, everything shouts just as loudly, and it's hard to focus on a single thing.

Here's what that can look like day to day:

  • It's hard to stay seated and listen to something boring
  • Things get lost, you forget what you just set out to do
  • You talk or move very fast, without really thinking first
  • Sometimes you feel worked up inside, even when you try to stay calm

It's not laziness or meanness: it's just that the brain works differently. Kids with ADHD don't do it on purpose, they need more help to focus.

Real cases: ADHD

use case

Child with ADHD, age 11
Parent → AESH
The support assistant has the right strategies from day one, with no trial and error and no extra meeting.

QR location: Sheet in the AESH (a one-to-one support assistant for students with disabilities, in France) follow-up file

See the case in detail
Child with ADD (no hyperactivity), age 8
Parent → Teacher, activity leader
Adults understand that the lapses in attention are not disinterest, and adjust how they call on the child.

QR location: Label stuck inside the student's desk

See the case in detail
High-school student with ADHD, age 17
The person themselves → Tutor teacher, school liaison
The tutor understands the organisation difficulties and can suggest concrete accommodations for exams.

QR location: Shared by message with their tutor teacher

See the case in detail
Adult with ADHD, age 34
The person themselves → New colleague, manager
The person chooses when and to whom they explain how they work, in their own words, without having their lapses misread.

QR location: Email signature (discreet text link)

See the case in detail
Adult with ADD, age 51, manager
The person themselves → HR director, occupational physician
The occupational physician and the HR director understand the accommodations requested under the RQTH (the recognition of disabled-worker status, in France) without a verbal briefing session.

QR location: File given to the HR director

Hyperactive child, 8 years old
Parent → After-school activity leader
The leader understands impulsive behaviors and adapts the activities instead of penalizing what they don't understand.

QR location: Card given to the after-school activity leader

Child with ADD (attention deficit), 9 years old
Parent → Sports club coach
The coach adapts their instructions and understands the difficulties with focus without leaving the child out of the team.

QR location: Card given to the sports coach

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