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What are the signs of ADHD in children? These are the 9 key characteristics to watch for

One of the Cleveland Clinic's lead researchers on ADHD talks about how to determine if your child has ADHD and what to do about it.

CLEVELAND — As kids are now back in the classroom, they are under the supervision of teachers and school counselors. This is also a time when adults might start to notice differences in a child's learning. That includes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which affects roughly 6.1 million kids in the United States.

In today's Mom Squad, 3News' Maureen Kyle talks to the Cleveland Clinic’s leading researcher -- Dr. Michael Manos -- about ADHD and how to identify signs in kids.

Dr. Manos uses this example as a sign a child might be struggling:

“A child is sitting in a classroom and looking out at a tree in the schoolyard and watching a squirrel in the tree and the teacher says: ‘Children pull out your math books and do page 45.’ The child is so busy watching the squirrel in the tree that he or she doesn't hear what the teacher has said."

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Another way to tell if your child has this condition is if he or she is constantly moving at home and at school.

“Hyperactivity is much easier to see," Manos says.

Dr. Manos also lists the following nine 9 key characteristics used to identify ADHD:

  • Impulsiveness
  • Disorganization and problems prioritizing
  • Poor time management skills
  • Problems focusing on a task
  • Trouble multitasking
  • Excessive activity or restlessness
  • Poor planning
  • Low frustration tolerance
  • Frequent mood swings
  • Hot temper
  • Problems following through and completing tasks
  • Trouble coping with stress

If six of those characteristics are present, a child would be diagnosed as ADHD.
Watch the video below for to the entire interview with Dr. Manos:

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