ADHD: “Here’s how I Know You Have ADHD”

Oct 04, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

(Kaieteur News) – When schools refer students to my clinic for behavioural and academic challenges, eight of ten times after assessment and diagnosis, the child has ADHD. That’s when parents (especially mothers) in their 30’s and 40s also discover they too have ADHD. “You bright, but you careless.” “Why you can’t sit still?” “You always forget something!” In Caribbean homes, classrooms and workplaces, these statements can attach shame to difficulties care. Individuals with ADHD, intelligence is always above average.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental Disorder involving persistent, impairing difficulties with attention regulation, hyperactivity- impulsivity. It affects planning, organization; time management and task completion. There are three clinical presentations, which can change over time. There is no cure. Only 5% of children grow out of ADHD the rest live on with it. ADHD symptoms need to be present before age 12. Ninety percent of children with ADHD acquire it from one of their parents. The other 10% from premature birth, problematic pregnancy, or significant stress environment surrounding early after birth.