Teen girls and ADHD

[Sara2000]

Dd aged 14 thinks she may have ADHD. I understand the symptoms are different in boys. Before I think about spending £££ on tests I just wanted to see if any of this rings true with any of you who has experience of teens girls with ADHD;

Dd is fairly academic , average to maybe a bit above. She always tells me she 'zones out' in class and often cant keep up with what the teacher is saying.

I had her tested for dyslexia which came back as not being the issue, but she has a processing speed in the 1st percentile.

She over analyses and over thinks things.

Socially anxious , most friends are online. Avoids social situations and gets stress headaches when she meets up with a group of friends. She just finds it hard work.

She describes schools as exhausting.

Sensory issues, hates socks because of the seam on her toes and very sensitive to noise.

Poor sleep.


I'd say she's well organised which doesnt fit with my understanding of ADHD, but often late for school.


She has also been previously tested for ASD which came back as her having traits, rather tha actual ASD.

It sounds like I am out for a diagnosis given the tests we have done. But its DD who raised it. We have had quite a few issues with her mental health and anxiety which seem to be flaring up so I want to make sure I have considered everything. Especially now shes older.

[FortunesFave]

My 12 year old DD has just been dxd with ADHD (inattentive type) and she is definitely not tidy or fast at processing anything. She is extremely disorganised and forgetful. She is very articulate though...her vocabulary is on a par with someone much older. Her academics aren't great though literacy is strong with her.

Your DD sounds more like she has ASD....those traits you mentioned can be very debilitating.

[rosiethehen]

I'd suggest researching it and doing some online screening questionnaires for both adhd and autism - which often go hand in hand. There are some very good youtube channels which provide information on autism and adhd in females.

Don't necessarily expect help from the NHS. Some geographical areas are better than others. The majority of GPs know bugger all about neurodiversity and even less about the female experience. Private assessment and monitoring can be expensive, but not outlandishly so, it depends on your resources.

The medication that's prescribed for adhd can be very effective, but it can take time to find a suitable one at a suitable dose.

SSRI medication can help with anxiety, but only a paediatric psychiatrist can prescribe for adolescents.

You can find info and tips on how to cope online, there's more and more information out there about female experiences, but don't expect any healthcare professionals to be up to date and the NHS is about 10 years behind everyone else. You might hit lucky though.

[Sara2000]

To be honest I wasnt going to bother with the NHS. I just dont think we can afford to wait given shes now doing GCSEs.

[rosiethehen]

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. The waiting lists are usually at least two years with the NHS.

The private route works okay. We have ds2 under private psychiatric care for his autism and he's now doing well.

Make sure you find a clinician who's knowledgeable about adhd/asd in females.

[user127819]

Have you considered dyspraxia? A lot of what you describe can be features of dyspraxia.

[Sara2000]

No I hadn't considered that. Thank you I will to and read about it.