The paramedics rushed the gurney through the emergency room. The receiving nurse took the report from one of them.“What have you got?” She asked.“Ten-year-old patient. Ambulatory and Alert. No signs of physical trauma. Heart rate eighty-five BMP. BP One-Ten over Sixty Eight. Breathing is normal. Hyper-Talkative, easily distracted, forgetful, impulsive, and showing signs of extreme shyness.”The receiving nurse put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Are you telling me you brought in a patient showing signs of ADHD? Really?”“Did I mention the patient is a female?” The nurse dropped her hands and called to the desk. “Contact Doctor Svikt stat.” She turned to the paramedics. “Put her in room eight.”It’s not an emergencyThere are plenty of reasons why someone should be transported by ambulance to the nearest emergency room. ADHD is not one of them. Given the stigma that only boys can have ADHD, something so rare as a girl showing signs of ADHD might be cause for concern.If you believe the stigma that is. While boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, girls are just as likely to have ADHD and go undiagnosed. A lot of it has to do with how it manifests. Many boys are misdiagnosed as having ADHD simply because they are more active. They may show one or two signs here and there and a jump diagnosis is made.On the opposite side, many children go undiagnosed well into adulthood. Girls are often overlooked because they don’t fit the stereotype.Her symptoms are differentWith boys, in most cases, the signs of ADHD might be obvious. They fit the typical description implied in the name. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Their attention span is shorter than other kids their age. They are constantly looking for something else to do. They fidget and can’t sit still. They are in a constant state of motion.Girls, on the other hand, display these same traits in different ways. Instead of bouncing in their seats they doodle, move things around on their desk, cross and uncross their ankles.Girls with ADHD are more likely to stare out the window or get lost in a picture hanging on the wall. Their minds are in a constant state of changing thoughts. They might start talking for no apparent reason or jabber at high rates of speed. They might show extreme emotional sensitivity or no sensitivity at all for others.Some girls may become hyper-focused on a task or assignment, not realizing that their environment is changing. They’ll stay out in the rain while reading a book until the physical conditions overpower their hyper-focused state.They can also be hyper-active the way boys are, tomboyish if you will, enough for someone to be concerned that maybe something else might be going on.Boys, Girls, and ADHDIt can be easy to get caught up in the stereotypes of what ADHD looks like. Boys with ADHD will exhibit these kinds of behaviors.* Hyper Active* Anger Issues* Inattentive* Lack of Focus* Etc.While girls will exhibit these kinds of behaviors.* Emotional* Hyper-Focused* Daydreamer* Hyper-talkative* Etc.ADHD manifests itself differently in boys than it does in girls, but sometimes there is a crossover. The same attributes that boys might have can also be displayed by girls. The reverse is also true. Learning to look for the various signs of ADHD overall rather than looking for specific male vs. female signs can help many children to not be overlooked.A boy who is hyper-imaginative, staring into nothingness, is also demonstrating signs of ADHD but is often overlooked because those aren’t typical traits for boys.A girl who is hyper-active, ready to run and run and run, could be revealing a symptom of ADHD. ADHD doesn’t care whether it is affecting a boy or a girl, a man or a woman. The indicators may be displayed differently based on their sex but it’s not a one size fits all formula.For more information about ADHD in Girls, check out this article on Very Well Mind.Don’t jump to a diagnosisOnce upon a time not that long ago, and possibly still happening, if a boy was active they were fast-tracked to zombification medicines. All it took was a note from a school nurse or counselor and a doctor would prescribe Ritalin without doing any further investigation. The understanding of ADHD was limited and the popular medication seemed to solve the “problem”.These days we have plenty of access to information about ADHD. Some good. Some not so good. The temptation, as is always the case for a quick solution, is to view the first or most popular information about the subject and start checking boxes. That should be the start of the diagnosis not the conclusion.ADHD affects the mind. It causes a person to see the world in a different way. It’s not a disease that can be spread nor does it mean that there’s something inherently wrong with the person.That’s not to say it should be dismissed as something made up. It is a real issue and can contribute to real problems. The feminine ...
