Adult ADHD vs Childhood ADHD: How Symptoms Change Over Time

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is typically thought of as a childhood disorder though some patients may not get diagnosed until adulthood. Many people assume that if ADHD doesn’t disappear by adolescence, it should at least become less of an issue in adulthood. In fact there are individuals with childhood ADHD who may out grow the disorder by early adulthood. However, for many individuals, childhood ADHD is not outgrown and causes persistent, significant difficulties in adulthood— it changes how it manifests.

Hyperactivity may resolve by adolescence, but the inattention symptoms with executive functioning difficulty are more likely to persist into adulthood.

At the Drake Institute, we frequently work with both children and adults who struggle with attention, focus, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. Understanding how ADHD evolves over time is essential for proper identification and effective treatment at any age.

What ADHD Really Is: A Brain Regulation Issue

ADHD is not a lack of intelligence, motivation, or discipline. Nor is it due to poor parenting. It is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, also described as a neurobehavioral disorder, affecting how the brain regulates attention, impulse control, motor activity and emotional responses.

The symptoms are behavioral but caused by brain dysreulation, rather than being a purely behavioral problem. ADHD symptoms are a manifestation of dysregulamtion within and between brain networks. These dysregulated brain regions in ADHD include areas responsible for impulse control, hyperactivity, planning, organization, emotional control, and sustained attention.

For many individuals as the brain develops from childhood into adulthood, these brain dysreulation patterns do not disappear — they manifest differently.

How ADHD Commonly Appears in Childhood

In children, ADHD symptoms are often more noticeable, especially the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, because they tend to be external and disruptive.

Common Childhood ADHD Symptoms

Difficulty sustaining attention on non-preferred tasks
Easily distracted by unimportant or irrelevant stimuli
Difficulty sitting still or staying seated
Impulsive behavior or acting without thinking
Trouble following instructions
Disorganized, forgetful, loses things

Though not included in the DSM-5 criteria, other characteristics frequently observed in ADHD children are poor sleep, emotional dysregulation with low frustration tolerance and excessive screen time use.

It is important to point out that the symptoms of ADHD can be present at times in normally developing non-ADHD children but the symptoms are not nearly as severe nor persistent, and do not disrupt successful development. In ADHD children, these symptoms are more severe, persistent and impair normal functioning in everyday life. Because children are in structured environments like classrooms, attention and self-control difficulties are easier to spot. Teachers and parents often notice that an ADHD child struggles more than peers in situations requiring sustained focus or behavioral regulation.

Executive Dysfunction in Adult ADHD

One of the most significant challenges adults with ADHD face is executive dysfunction — difficulty managing tasks and responsibilities in daily life.

Common issues include:

Chronic procrastination
Difficulty starting or completing tasks
Poor time management
Trouble prioritizing responsibilities
Forgetfulness and missed deadlines

These challenges can lead to frustration, shame, and even burnout, especially when others perceive the individual as capable but ineffective, inconsistent, or not caring.

Emotional Dysregulation: An Overlooked ADHD Symptom

ADHD also affects emotional regulation not only in children but also in adults.

This may show up as:

Overreacting to stress
Irritability or short temper
Difficulty recovering emotionally from setbacks
Feeling easily overwhelmed by everyday demands

Because emotional symptoms are less commonly associated with ADHD, many adults are instead diagnosed with anxiety or mood disorders without recognizing the underlying ADHD.

ADHD in the Workplace and Relationships

Adult ADHD frequently impacts professional and personal relationships.

In the workplace, individuals may:

Struggle with organization and follow-through
Experience inconsistent performance
Feel overwhelmed by multitasking demands
Change jobs frequently due to burnout, frustration or being fired

In relationships, ADHD-related challenges can contribute to misunderstandings, emotional reactivity, and communication difficulties.

Why Adult ADHD Is Often Missed or Misdiagnosed

Some adults with ADHD were never diagnosed as children. Others were told they would “grow out of it.”

Adult ADHD is frequently overlooked because:

Adults develop coping strategies that mask symptoms
Symptoms overlap with anxiety, depression, and chronic stress
Traditional evaluations rely heavily on self-reported symptoms

Without objective assessment and a thorough clinical history, it can be difficult to determine whether attention problems are the primary issue or the result of another condition.

How Brain Mapping Helps Identify ADHD at Any Age

At the Drake Institute, we use qEEG brain mapping to better understand how an individual’s brain is functioning.

This non-invasive assessment measures brainwave activity and compares it to a normative database. ADHD tends to show distinct abnormal brainwave patterns that correlate with a patient's symptoms..

Brain mapping allows clinicians to:

Detect whether ADHD-related dysregulation is present
Identify specific areas of imbalance
Design individualized treatment plans to address the dysregulation linked to symptoms

Treating ADHD Without Medication

For many children and adults, medication is not the preferred or most effective option.

Neurofeedback therapy works by training the brain to regulate itself more optimally. Over time, this can lead to improvements in attention, emotional control, and executive functioning without relying on medication.

This approach is especially helpful for individuals who: