Signs of ADHD in a child: the checklist
If you are wondering whether your child might have ADHD, this free checklist helps you put what you see into words. It takes about 2 minutes. You answer 12 questions about your child, and you get a summary you can screenshot and take to your pediatrician.
The 12 signs come from the two areas doctors look at. Answer each one compared with other children the same age, thinking about the last six months.
Attention
- Loses focus quickly, even on things they started well.
- Doesn't seem to listen when spoken to directly.
- Starts tasks but leaves them unfinished.
- Loses things a lot, like pencils, bottles and homework.
- Small sounds or sights pull their attention away.
- Forgets daily things, like brushing teeth, homework or chores.
Activity and impulse
- Fidgets, taps or squirms in their seat.
- Leaves their seat when they should stay seated.
- Runs or climbs at the wrong time or place.
- Talks a lot, often more than others in the room.
- Blurts out answers before the question ends.
- Finds waiting for their turn very hard.
Every one of these is also just part of childhood sometimes. What matters is how often, how strongly compared with other kids, and whether it makes home, school or friendships hard.
What this checklist is, and what it isn't
This is a screening checklist, not a diagnosis. It counts how many common signs you see. It can help you decide whether to talk to a professional, and it gives you something clear to show them.
It cannot tell you that your child has ADHD. Doctors use a longer list of 18 signs, information from more than one setting, and a proper assessment. Only a qualified clinician can diagnose ADHD. If you are worried, talk to your pediatrician or family doctor, whatever the result says.
One more promise: no honest test can give you a "percentage chance" of ADHD. Checklists count signs; they cannot compute probabilities. Any quiz that shows "78% ADHD" made that number up. We won't.
How doctors decide, in brief
Doctors use the DSM-5 criteria. In summary (American Psychiatric Association):
- A child up to 16 needs six or more of the nine signs in one area (attention, or hyperactivity and impulsivity) for at least six months.
- Several signs were there before age 12.
- They cause problems in more than one setting, such as home and school.
The American Academy of Pediatrics guideline covers children aged 4 to 18. Your pediatrician will want to hear from teachers or other caregivers too, and will check for other things that can look like ADHD, such as vision or hearing problems, sleep problems, anxiety, or learning difficulties (AAP, HealthyChildren.org). Our guide on how ADHD is diagnosed in children walks through every step, in the US, UK and India.
Signs of ADHD at different ages
- Under 5: many young children are easily distracted and full of energy without having ADHD (NHS). Doctors are careful at this age.
- School age: signs often stand out once the classroom asks children to sit, listen and finish work.
- Older kids and teens: restlessness may look more inner than outer, and disorganization, lost things and missed deadlines become more visible. Girls more often have quieter, inattentive signs that are easy to miss (NHS).
For what to expect at each stage, and fair expectations at home, read parenting an ADHD child, age by age.
If you see many signs, the calm next step
- Parents: take a screenshot of the result and book a visit with your pediatrician. Ask your child's teacher what they see too. Bring notes on when and where the hard moments happen.
- Adults: book a visit with a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist who assesses adult ADHD, and bring your result. Many adults, especially women, are diagnosed late.
- Either way: a result is information, not a label. And a low score with real struggles still deserves attention. Trust what you see.
For adults: the free ADHD test for grown-ups
Choose "Me" at the start to take the adult track. It uses the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) screener: six questions developed by the World Health Organization with a research workgroup that included Harvard Medical School's Ronald Kessler. It was validated in a peer-reviewed study published in Psychological Medicine (2005), and you can see the original questionnaire (PDF) hosted by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.
Under each official adult question we add a small "in other words" line in simpler English. The scoring uses only the official questions and the published thresholds.
How the scoring works (no secrets)
Children: the checklist counts how often you see the 12 signs, 6 per area. Four or more "often" answers in one area shows as "many signs", which means that area is worth describing to your pediatrician. This is a shorter list than the one doctors use, so it cannot tell you whether a child meets the criteria.
Adults: each of the 6 questions has a research-set threshold. Answer at or above it and that sign counts. 4 or more of 6 signs is a positive screen. In the validation study, most adults who scored in this range and were then formally assessed did meet criteria for ADHD. It is still a screen, not a verdict.
While you wait for an appointment
Whatever the assessment says, the daily struggles are real right now, and the same strategies help either way: get tasks out of your head, make time visible, and work in short blocks with real breaks. Our free visual timer works in your browser, and the TimeNinja app turns picture routines and visible time into a daily system for kids and grown-ups.
Frequently asked questions
What are the signs of ADHD in a child?
ADHD signs fall into two areas. Attention: losing focus, not seeming to listen, leaving tasks unfinished, losing things, being easily distracted and forgetting daily tasks. Activity and impulse: fidgeting, leaving their seat, running or climbing at the wrong time, talking a lot, blurting out answers and finding it hard to wait. What matters is how often and how strongly, compared with other children the same age, and whether it causes problems at home and at school.
Is this ADHD checklist a diagnosis?
No. It is a screening checklist. It can show whether the signs you see are worth talking to a professional about, and it gives you a clear summary to bring. Only a qualified clinician can diagnose ADHD. If you are worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician or doctor.
At what age can a child be checked for ADHD?
The American Academy of Pediatrics guideline covers children aged 4 to 18. Diagnosis is harder before age 4, because many young children are naturally active and easily distracted. This checklist is for children roughly 4 to 16.
Where do these questions come from?
The child checklist is written in plain language from the DSM-5 symptom areas that doctors use. The adult questions are the 6-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) screener, developed by the World Health Organization with researchers including Harvard Medical School's Ronald Kessler, and published in a peer-reviewed study in 2005.
Is this free ADHD test really free and private?
Yes. No signup, no email, no payment. Your answers are processed in your browser and never sent anywhere. We could not read them even if we wanted to.
What should I do if my child shows many signs?
Take a screenshot of the result and book a visit with your pediatrician. Ask your child's teacher what they notice too. Many signs does not mean your child definitely has ADHD; other things like sleep problems, hearing or vision problems, anxiety or learning difficulties can look similar. It means a proper assessment is worth your time.
Can this test tell me the percentage chance of ADHD?
No honest test can. Checklists and screeners count how many common signs you see. They cannot compute a probability of diagnosis. Any online test that gives you a percentage is making that number up.
Is there an ADHD test for adults here too?
Yes. Choose "Me" at the start. The adult track uses the WHO's 6-question ASRS v1.1 screener and is for people aged 16 and up, answering about themselves.
Sources
- American Psychiatric Association, What is ADHD? (summary of the DSM-5-TR criteria)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Diagnosing ADHD in children: guidelines and information for parents (HealthyChildren.org)
- NHS, ADHD symptoms
- CDC, Symptoms of ADHD
- Kessler RC et al., The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), Psychological Medicine, 2005
Child checklist written in plain language from the DSM-5 symptom areas. Adult questions adapted from the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Screener β Β© World Health Organization, developed with the Workgroup on Adult ADHD. Used for educational screening with attribution. This page is educational and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. If you're concerned about yourself or your child, please talk to your pediatrician or doctor.