If your child is fidgety, restless, or has problems paying attention or focusing, the first thing that comes to mind is ADHD. But what if it’s not ADHD?
Read about 12 other conditions that look like ADHD.
Lots of children might constantly be restless and on the go.
They might also be hyperactive, inattentive and have problems fitting in with their peers.
It is easy to assume it’s ADHD.
Due to greater awareness, ADHD is more understood, accepted and frequently diagnosed.
However, the typical symptoms associated with ADHD might be actually symptoms of something else.
Did you know that several conditions produce similar symptoms and can mimic ADHD?
ADHD is a complex issue and requires a proper and thorough diagnosis.
A good assessment will influence the treatment and coping strategies and, as a result, your child’s well-being and success.
It is crucial to properly diagnose it and rule out other conditions with similar symptoms.
Usually, the ADHD diagnosis process will take several months (or longer) and will involve several specialists working together.
You may easily assume that ADHD causes your child’s difficulties.
One in ten children has ADHD, and ADHD has become more “popular” and better understood.
To diagnose ADHD, doctors use different assessments based on the main characteristics of Attention Deficit Disorders.
These symptoms and guidance are in a go-to manual for mental health and neurological conditions called DSM-5. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, lists the symptoms.
It also emphasises that they must be ongoing, affect a person’s life significantly, and other reasons for behaviours or conditions causing them to have to be ruled out.
Below you can read about 12 conditions that look like ADHD.
12 conditions that look like ADHD
1. Anxiety disorder
The first condition that looks like ADHD is Anxiety.
Many children with ADHD have anxiety disorders and are likelier to get anxiety.
Your child might be anxious if they are often sad, worried, or scared.
Sitting still in school and paying attention if you worry constantly is challenging.
Doctors should evaluate the possibility of anxiety, not only because it mimics ADHD symptoms but also because they often occur together.
2. Depression
Another condition with symptoms resembling ADHD is Depression.
A child who is depressed is likely to be sad and worried.
It would be challenging for them to stay calm, focused and settled.
Instead, they might be fidgety, nervous or act out.
A mental health professional could tell the difference between mental health conditions and ADHD.
ADHD symptoms can affect a child, making them depressed and anxious.
3. Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of the conditions that look like ADHD.
Children with Autism struggle in social situations most of the time.
This struggle can mimic ADHD symptoms, such as children not getting along with their peers.
These problems might happen for a child with ADHD because of their inhibitory control (self-control) problems.
(Read my post about executive functions here; inhibitory control is one of them.)
For autistic individuals, problems with social interactions might have more to do with the lack of the Theory of Mind.
Autistic people may say inappropriate things or be literal, which might look like when a child with ADHD cannot control themselves.
It is also not uncommon for both of these conditions to be comorbid, which means they occur simultaneously.
A thorough evaluation is very important for a good diagnosis.
4. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
ODD is a type of behaviour disorder.
Children with ODD will lose their temper and have problems obeying and following the rules.
They might be uncooperative and defiant, often get in trouble or have frequent temper tantrums.
These children often argue with adults, refuse to do what they are told and may often be angry and unkind.
Lots of these symptoms are similar in children with ADHD.
The main difference is that with ADHD, your child will also have attention, focus and hyperactivity problems.
Although scientists and doctors are not sure what causes ODD, they think it is a learned behaviour. Children with ODD may mirror what they see or behave in a challenging way to get attention or reaction.
ADHD, on the other hand, is genetic. The child with ADHD genes might develop them even with great parents and perfect conditions.
ODD is more likely to present itself in children from chaotic families, often with mental health or substance abuse problems.
And of course, ODD and ADHD can occur together, which is not uncommon.
5. Conduct Disorder (CD)
Conduct disorder is another type of behaviour disorder similar to ODD.
Like with ODD, a child with conduct disorder will be defiant to rules and standards.
They will also have antisocial behaviour.
They may lie, steal, run away, skip school or be aggressive.
They may also assault people, be cruel to animals or be violent.
A child with CD might be a bully, get into fights or be involved in crime.
Conduct disorder often occurs in children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with a family history of mental health and abuse.
It can be confused with ADHD because children with ADHD might be fidgety and not always good with their peers.
They might not know how to take turns or pay attention.
However, they usually are not aggressive.
Although disruptive, children with ADHD are not violent or antisocial like those with conduct disorder.
Children with CD may have some signs of ADHD.
They might be hyperactive and have attention problems.
The main difference between Conduct Disorder and ADHD is that children with CD seem to like being aggressive and antisocial and do it on purpose.
Kids with ADHD, on the other hand, do not mean to be disruptive or hyperactive.
They just can’t control themselves because their brains work differently.
6. Learning difficulties
Learning difficulties like dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or auditory processing disorder might cause ADHD-like symptoms.
If a child struggles with reading, writing, maths or other aspects of their learning, they might have problems with attention.
It may be difficult for them to concentrate, so they present problematic behaviours.
People are different, and they process information differently.
It means that they learn differently and can cause learning difficulties.
Very often, children with ADHD will have learning difficulties as well.
The difference between LD and ADHD is that a learning difficulty has problems learning a specific skill.
For example, people with dyslexia will struggle with reading, and people with dyscalculia will struggle with maths.
For ADHD, in contrast, the difficulties are with general executive function: impulse control, working memory or attention. (See my post about executive functions here).
A child with LD might find their difficulty frustrating and lash out or stop paying attention. These behaviours may look like ADHD symptoms.
7. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is another condition that looks like ADHD.
It is a mood disorder.
It causes mood swings and may make a person feel extremely happy or extremely low.
Bipolar disorder is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.
It can be treated with medication by a psychiatrist.
Bipolar disorder will cause a child to, for example, have problems with staying focused, have issues sleeping, be irritable or have aggressive outbursts.
Many of these symptoms resemble ADHD.
The difference, however, is that ADHD is chronic and ongoing and bipolar disorder is episodic.
Children with Bipolar Disorder will have periods of good mood that can be interrupted by periods of depression or mania and lots of energy.
8. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
Another condition that may look like ADHD is Sensory Processing Disorder.
I dedicated an entire post to SPD; it is very thorough, so take a look here to learn more about it.
Sensory processing disorder is a condition that makes someone experience a greater sensitivity to how smoothly sensory information is processed.
Children with SPD might have different experiences with their senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste.
A child with SPD might be sensory seeking or sensory avoidant.
They may fidget, be rough, fussy or restless.
It is because they might be trying to avoid sensations that are unpleasant for them.
Or perhaps, they are looking for more sensory input.
Children who like to jump, fidget, and bump into things may seek sensory input (called proprioceptive input) that comes with touching and feeling objects, surfaces and their weight.
A child that can’t sit still in their chair might be over-sensitive to the chair’s surface and the sensation it produces when sitting on it.
On the other hand, a child with ADHD, who cannot sit still, does it because of a lack of self-control and problems with hyperactivity.
SPD is characterised by sensitivity to senses, and ADHD, on the other hand, has more to do with impulse control and attention, even if the behaviour may look the same for both.
9. Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that is often characterised by people experiencing seizures.
One type of epilepsy, called absence seizure, may look like ADHD symptoms.
It causes a child to zone out when having an episode.
They may look confused and not paying attention, staring into space for a few seconds.
A child with this symptom will look like a child with ADHD who is not paying attention and is unable to focus.
Absence seizures may cause the child to have problems in school (just like with ADHD) because they cannot focus and concentrate on their work after briefly losing consciousness.
The difference is that the child might be completely unfocused and unreachable during an absence seizure episode.
In contrast, a child with ADHD can divert their attention quickly after, for example, touching them, clapping or calling their name.
10. Tourette’s Syndrome / Tics
Another condition that looks like ADHD is Tourette’s Syndrome and Tics.
I have written a whole post about tics and Tourette’s syndrome and Tics here, so read it if you want to find out more.
Tics are rapid, sudden, and recurring movements that are usually out of control.
It might be blinking, jerking, clicking fingers, sniffing, clearing throat, repeating phrases or words or even swearing.
Tourette’s syndrome is diagnosed in people with chronic and persistent tics that affect their life.
Tics may sometimes be comorbid (coexisting) with ADHD.
These sudden and uncontrolled movements may appear as fidgeting and an inability to focus. These symptoms might be mistaken for ADHD.
Both ADHD and tics can be addressed by behaviour therapy as one possible treatment.
To find out what helps with tics, read my post here and to learn what helps with ADHD, read here.
11. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can present in two ways; obsession and compulsion (or both together).
OCD involves having unwanted, intrusive thoughts or fears.
It may also characterise behaviours that are a response to anxiety and fear.
It might be, for example, excessive hand cleaning (due to fear of germs), compulsive counting, checking house appliances, light switches or taps (fear of possible accident).
Some of the behaviours people with OCD present may look like ADHD behaviours: being unfocused, restless or fidgety.
The difference between OCD and ADHD is that OCD is internalising disorder, and ADHD is externalising disorder.
ADHD being externalising means that it shows itself on the “outside” of a person, with their behaviour and actions.
Internalising disorder, like OCD, means a person is tormented by the thoughts “inside” them.
It is not uncommon for a person with ADHD to have OCD as well.
12. Being Gifted
And the last condition that looks like ADHD is being gifted.
Gifted children can sometimes be mistaken for having ADHD.
It is because they are intelligent and clever and might be ahead of their peers in academic achievement.
It may make them feel bored, not challenged enough and frustrated.
It can cause them to react with behaviour like fidgeting (because they are bored) or lashing out (because they are misunderstood), or they might challenge adults who work with them.
Very often, gifted children experience asynchronous development.
It is when someone has significant strengths in one area but deficits in another.
Gifted children may lack skills in some areas of their lives, for example, social skills.
It can cause frustration and present problems similar to ADHD symptoms
Also, gifted children are often anxious, they are often misunderstood and frustrated, and that’s causing them anxiety.
Similarly, children with ADHD very often experience anxiety.
You can see above that many conditions resemble and mimic ADHD. My list is not extensive.
Do you know any conditions that look like ADHD that I haven’t mentioned here? Let me know in the comments.
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