ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting attention, activity and impulse control that can persist into adult life, with national guidance from NICE (NG87) covering it from childhood onwards. Kiam Clinic, a private mental health clinic in Epsom assessing ADHD in children and adults, explains how it can present at different ages.
Signs at home and school
Indicators include being easily distracted, not seeming to listen, forgetting everyday routines, making careless mistakes in schoolwork, fidgeting, and struggling to stay seated or wait their turn. These signs usually appear both at home and at school.
Girls are recognised less often, sometimes because they become quiet or anxious rather than disruptive. The exact cause is not fully understood, but ADHD tends to run in families, and no one is to blame for it.
ADHD in adults and related conditions
Adults may notice missed details at work, half-finished projects, lost keys and forgotten bills, along with a restless, driven feeling inside rather than obvious over-activity. Some assume for years that they are simply disorganised.
ADHD often coexists with other differences. Autism, a lifelong difference in how a person communicates and experiences the world, can look different in girls, who may mask it by copying others. Tics, sudden movements or sounds that are hard to control, often begin in childhood; some continue into adult life, and many people with tics also have ADHD, OCD or anxiety.
Assessment and support at Kiam Clinic
For a child with tics, the usual advice is to start with the family GP. This article is general information, not a diagnosis; recognising these signs is a reason to ask, not an answer.
Kiam Clinic, at 13 Worple Road in Epsom, is registered with the Care Quality Commission. Dr Hadi Shaker Naeeni, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, assesses ADHD and autism in children and young people. Dr Abbass Mohammadinasab, founder and Lead Consultant Psychiatrist, and Dr Mohammad Saidi, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, assess adults with ADHD, and Dr Saidi adults with tics and Tourette syndrome.
After an adult diagnosis, support can be psychological, medical or both, including psychotherapy and ADHD coaching with Dr Nazee Akbari MBE. Adults can also be seen for depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and PTSD. Assessments can be held online across the UK or in person in Epsom; a child's autism assessment has a second stage at the clinic.
To book or ask a question, call 01372 660580 or visit kiamclinic.com. Adults unsure where to start can take the free five-minute ADHD screening test there first.
