Visit our foundation to give a gift.
 View Locations Near Me
Main Campus – Hartford
Connecticut Children’s – Waterbury
Urgent Care – Farmington
Specialty Care Center – Danbury
Connecticut Children’s Surgery Center at FarmingtonÂ
Specialty Care Center – Fairfield
Search All LocationsÂ
Find a doctorÂ
Contact Us Â
Search SpecialtiesÂ
Find A DoctorÂ
Request an Appointment
Locations
Amenities and Services
Who’s Who on Care Team
Getting Ready for Surgery
What to Expect—Picture Stories
Disney Initiative
Pay a Bill
Understanding the Different Fees
Pricing Transparency and Estimates
Child Life
Raytheon Technologies Family Resource Center
Family Advisory Council
Transition Programs
Advocacy
Legal Advocacy: Benefits, Education, Housing
Electronic Health Records
MyChart
Share Your Story
Pay a BillÂ
Login to MyChartÂ
Specialty Referrals
Clinical Support Services Referrals
Inpatient Referrals
ED/Transport Referrals
About the Network
Join the Network
Graduate Medical Education
Continuing Medical Education
MOC/Practice Quality Improvement
Educating Practices in the Community (EPIC)
For Nurses
Learning & Performance
Research
Resources
CLASP/Referral Guidelines
Meet our Physician Relations Team
Request Medical Records
Join our Referring Provider Advisory Board
View our Physician Callback Standards
Read & Subscribe to Medical NewsÂ
Register for Email Updates
Update Your Practice Information
Refer a Patient Â
Contact OneCall Â
Find and Print Health Info Â
Health Information For Teens
Everyone has trouble at times with paying attention, listening, or waiting. But people with ADHD have trouble with these things almost all the time. They’re not doing it on purpose. ADHD is a medical condition that affects a person’s attention and self-control.
Because of ADHD, people have a harder time staying focused. They may be more fidgety than others. ADHD can make it harder to control behavior, so kids and teens may get into trouble more. ADHD can affect how they get along with other people.
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That’s the medical term for difficulties with attention and self-control that can make someone fidget and move around a lot.
People with ADHD might:
If someone has a lot of these signs, and the problems happen most of the time, it might be ADHD.
Deciding if someone has ADHD starts with a doctor visit. There are no lab tests or blood tests for ADHD. Doctors are trained to know what signs to look for.
If you go to a doctor to get checked out for ADHD, the doctor will ask about what’s going on in your life and at school. The doctor will ask things like if you have trouble doing homework, sitting still, slowing down, or listening — and how long that’s been going on.
The doctor will check to make sure another health or learning issue is not the cause. The doctor will probably ask your parents and teachers to fill out checklists about signs they may have noticed.
If a doctor finds out you have ADHD, you will get treatment to help. This can be a big relief. It can be hard to feel like you’re always struggling with things that others seem to have no trouble doing.
To help teens with ADHD, doctors might:
Prescribe medicine. Medicine can boost the brain’s ability to pay attention, slow down, and be more patient.
Provide therapy. Therapists can help people learn attention skills, cope with feelings, and gain self-control. They can help people with ADHD see the best in themselves and figure out how to use their strengths.
Help parents learn what to do. Parents play a big part in ADHD care. They can help teens do things like listen better or be more organized. Parents can also give encouragement, love, and support.
It’s not just doctors and parents who help teens with ADHD. Sometimes schools give students a learning plan called an IEP that’s designed just for them.
Teachers can also do these things to help teens with ADHD do well in class:
There are things that people with ADHD can do to help themselves too, like:
ADHD is caused by differences in the brain’s ability to pay attention, slow down, and be patient. It’s not clear why these differences happen, but doctors know that ADHD is in a person’s genes. Most teens with ADHD have a parent or relative who also has it.
ADHD is not caused by eating too much sugar or anything else a person does.
Having ADHD can be difficult sometimes. Kids and teens may get scolded for things they can’t help — like not listening, losing their temper, or doing things too fast. That can make people feel bad about themselves or mistakenly blame themselves for ADHD. But ADHD is not your fault.
Parents, teachers, and therapists can help you get better at paying attention, slowing down, and gaining self-control. They can teach you to use your strengths and energy in good ways. With the right help and support, people with ADHD can improve their attention and self-control, do well in school and activities, and feel good about themselves.
Medicine doesnât cure ADHD. But it does help boost a person’s ability to pay attention, slow down, and have more self-control. This article for teens has details on how ADHD medicines help.
Having trouble getting a handle on all of your homework? Get your work space set, your schedule organized, and your studying done with the help of this article.