This student story was published as part of the 2025 NASW Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program organized by the NASW Education Committee, providing science journalism experience for undergraduate and graduate students.
Story by Rachel Lea
Mentored and edited by Jill Sakai
“Raise your hand if you wish to speak.” “Get back in your seat.” “Pay attention!”
Such comments may be all too familiar to some students — especially those with ADHD.
ADHD is short for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This condition is linked to how the brain develops and affects how people think and process information. Although sometimes called a disorder, ADHD is a neurotype, or a natural variation in how the brain develops.
In fact, ADHD is one of the more common neurotypes. About 22 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. This includes more than 6 million children.
When someone has ADHD, their brain produces a lower amount of some chemicals that brain cells use to communicate. One is dopamine, which affects motivation and mood. Another is called norepinephrine. This plays a role in attention and excitement.
These brain differences can make it harder for someone with ADHD to focus on certain tasks compared to people without ADHD. They may have trouble sitting still or controlling their emotions.
Such traits are not always a problem, notes Jamal Williams. He studies the genetics behind ADHD at the University of Buffalo in New York. In fact, humans have had these kinds of characteristics for a very long time. Recent research suggests that people with ADHD-like behaviors like risk-taking and impulsivity were better foragers in hunter-gatherer societies.
However, people today are expected to sit still in classes or offices. They may have to be quiet for hours at a time. This can make it difficult for people with ADHD to do well in certain environments, such as school.
What traits are present in ADHD?
Every ADHD brain is different. Still, certain traits help experts identify ADHD and divide it into three types.
- Hyperactive: This type of ADHD is characterized by excessive restlessness. Someone may find it hard to stay still for a long period of time. Or their mind might wander. A person may also be impulsive. They may make decisions or act without thinking about the consequences.
- Inattentive: People with this type of ADHD are easily distracted and forgetful. They may have trouble following directions and paying attention to details.
- Combined: This type of ADHD combines different hyperactive and inattentive traits. This is the most common type of ADHD. Williams estimates that 60 percent of people with ADHD have this type.
How these traits are expressed depends on many factors. One of them is genetics. At least 80 percent of people with ADHD have inherited genes that make them more likely to express ADHD traits. This makes ADHD the most inherited mental condition.
Environmental factors may also play a role in ADHD. These may include socioeconomic factors, like household income or a person’s level of education. Some evidence suggests infections or early exposure to neurotoxins like lead can affect ADHD. However, it is still unclear whether these factors cause ADHD directly.
How is ADHD diagnosed?
ADHD is diagnosed based on whether someone shows characteristic traits. These include fidgeting hands or feet, talking excessively, or forgetting certain tasks and the tools needed to complete them.
Everyone may experience these types of traits sometimes. However, finding it hard to concentrate now and then does not mean you have ADHD. To be diagnosed, a person must have a pattern of six or more traits over time.
Many types of professionals can diagnose ADHD. “You could have a social worker, a school counselor, a pediatrician, a psychiatrist or a psychologist,” says Williams. However, they have different perspectives and may assess people’s traits in different ways. For example, a doctor may ask parents or a teacher to fill out a questionnaire to better understand traits of the student. A school counselor may interview a student or their parents to look for signs.
With no single path to look for ADHD, a child may only be assessed if someone thinks they are likely to have it. This means that an ADHD diagnosis is often delayed. Nearly half of people with ADHD are not diagnosed until the age of 14.
And some groups of people are less likely to be evaluated than others. Girls, for instance, are less likely than boys to be diagnosed. This may be partly because girls with ADHD are more likely to show inattentive traits, such as frequent daydreaming. These tend to be less visible than hyperactive traits, such as interrupting others. When girls do have hyperactive traits, they tend to be more subtle ones. They may be highly sensitive to emotions or have trouble concentrating on specific tasks.
Black students are also less likely than white students to be diagnosed with ADHD. That is true even though the condition is equally common in both groups. Parents of Black students may be reluctant to have their children evaluated, says Sharon Saline. She is a clinical psychologist who writes and talks about ADHD. For kids who may already be facing racism, an ADHD diagnosis could reduce self-esteem and harm mental health.
Even when evaluated, Black children are more likely to be diagnosed with a conduct disorder than ADHD. Williams and his team believe this is due to racial biases.
“If you have [a] white teacher with a Black student, the teacher may perceive behavior through a different cultural context,” says Williams. Take a student who gets upset at not knowing the answer when called on in class, for instance. “It might be easier for a Black teacher to identify in a Black student that this is a kid who is having difficulty paying attention and maybe feels frustrated.”
What are some misconceptions of ADHD?
ADHD was first defined as a condition in the 1980s. However, descriptions of ADHD traits can be traced back to ancient times. Despite this, some people still think that ADHD is not a real condition.
Another misconception is that people with ADHD are lazy. However, low levels of signaling chemicals make the ADHD brain primed for “novelty-seeking,” Saline says. People can be highly motivated by things they’re interested in.
“It is no problem to play a game for two hours,” says Saline. “But it is a lot harder to do your homework if you do not like math or [to] take the trash out.”
Finding a task that interests or challenges someone with ADHD can lead them to hyperfocus, or fixate, on that task. This intense state of concentration can allow them to become exceptionally skilled in their field of study.
Williams says that hyperactive and impulsive behaviors can also allow people with ADHD to make connections between different topics. This can lead to more adaptive and creative ideas than those with a more rigid way of thinking.
Should ADHD be treated?
ADHD can be treated with medication. The two main types are stimulants and nonstimulants. These drugs work by regulating levels of signaling chemicals in the brain. They can help reduce hyperactivity and boost attention.
However, medication does not work for everyone. And it can cause side effects, such as trouble sleeping or loss of appetite. So someone with ADHD should talk with a professional to see whether medication is needed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is another type of treatment. It is commonly paired with medication but can also be used alone. Therapy helps people with ADHD understand how their brain works. They can identify things they struggle with and ways to handle them. An ADHD coach can also help people learn skills to manage the challenges they face.
To combat inattention, for example, it can help to divide a task into chunks. For struggles with time management, alarms and calendars can keep track of someone’s schedule.
People with ADHD can become very successful, with or without medication. Many celebrities have been open about having ADHD. These include director Greta Gerwig, actor Will Smith, and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
“There is nothing wrong with people with ADHD,” says Saline. “Their brains are different. That’s okay. And the important thing is getting the support that they need to help them thrive and succeed.”
Rachel Lea is an upcoming second-year graduate student at Stony Brook University studying science communication. Her writing can be found on SBU News and Epigraph, the official news journal of the International League Against Epilepsy. She also has experience hosting, editing, and producing podcasts. When she is not writing or talking about organisms (human or otherwise), she is reading, baking, or watching anime. Email her at rachel.lea@stonybrook.edu or connect with her at www.linkedin.com/in/rachelllea.
Jill Sakai is the managing editor at Science News Explores and a senior editor at The Open Notebook. She is a former AAAS Mass Media Fellow and was a board member of the National Association of Science Writers from 2014–2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
Top image: ADHD is often associated with being restless. But being easily distracted is another common trait that is frequently overlooked, especially in girls. Credit: sean Kong/Unsplash
The NASW Perlman Virtual Mentoring program is named for longtime science writer and past NASW President David Perlman. Dave, who died in 2020 at the age of 101 only three years after his retirement from the San Francisco Chronicle, was a mentor to countless members of the science writing community and always made time for kind and supportive words, especially for early career writers.
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