{"id":709256,"date":"2026-07-24T18:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/709256\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T18:23:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:23:21","slug":"the-physical-signs-that-commonly-show-up-in-kids-with-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/709256\/","title":{"rendered":"The Physical Signs That Commonly Show Up In Kids With ADHD"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a form of neurodivergence <\/a>that\u2019s thought to impact around 700,000 children in the UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a \u201csignificant rise\u201d in ADHD diagnoses<\/a> over the past two decades, which experts believe is largely down to greater awareness of the condition.<\/p>\n

Yet girls in particular are more likely to remain undiagnosed.<\/a> So too are children who are \u201cnot particularly disruptive, are more cognitively able, and have better prosocial skills\u201d<\/a>, according to Isabella Barclay, of the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University.<\/p>\n

Undiagnosed ADHD has been linked to risks<\/a> such as academic underachievement, educational problems, increased prevalence of depression and anxiety, and higher rates of offending behaviour. <\/p>\n

Diagnosis is important then in helping children, and their parents, learn to manage it \u2013 and, if necessary, to treat it (some people may benefit from taking medication)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering whether your own child might be displaying symptoms of ADHD, we spoke to Dr Mukesh Kripalani, lead psychiatrist at The ADHD Centre<\/a>, about the common physical symptoms that can show up in kids. <\/p>\n

4 common physical signs of ADHD in children<\/p>\n

1. A \u2018motor that won\u2019t quit\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cIn practice, the most glaring physical sign of ADHD I tend to see isn\u2019t just a child who is energetic \u2013 it\u2019s a child who seems physically driven by an internal motor. They are in constant motion,\u201d said Dr Kripalani.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey squirm in their seats, tap their feet constantly, and often look like they find it physically uncomfortable to remain still for even a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

People often expect ADHD to look like a child bouncing off the walls, said the expert, \u201cbut frequently, the physical signs are much more contained\u201d.<\/p>\n

He notes some common yet subtle signs include constantly twirling hair, picking at clothes, biting nails or \u201cengaging in small, repetitive physical movements just to help their brains self-regulate\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

towfiqu ahamed via Getty Images<\/p>\n

3. Lack of physical boundaries<\/p>\n

The ADHD expert notes one of the key characterisations of ADHD, impulsivity, doesn\u2019t just show up in what a child says \u2013 it shows up in their physical presence, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids with ADHD often struggle with physical boundaries,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ll see them impulsively intruding on personal space, grabbing things from others without asking, or suddenly darting across a room or street without checking if it\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. The physical toll of mental exhaustion<\/p>\n

\u201cParents report that their child is suffering from frequent stomach-aches, tension headaches, or sleep disturbances,\u201d added Dr Kripalani.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile not direct diagnostic symptoms of ADHD, the sheer mental exhaustion and anxiety of trying to hold it together, focus, and sit still in a classroom all day often manifests as real physical distress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is often the source of rejection sensitivity<\/a> and emotional fluctuations.\u201d <\/p>\n

What parents need to know <\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve noticed some of these symptoms in your child, Dr Kripalani advises keeping an eye out to see if it happens across environments \u2013 whether that\u2019s home, school, childcare, or when they\u2019re playing at friends\u2019 homes. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re noticing these physical signs, the first thing I ask parents to consider is the context. Is your child only restless during math class, or are they also unable to sit through dinner or a movie at home?\u201d said the expert.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue ADHD doesn\u2019t turn off when the school bell rings; we look for these physical behaviors showing up repeatedly across multiple environments. The restlessness can be controlled for brief periods but it comes at a cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also crucial to determine how these symptoms might be impacting a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question you need to ask as a parent is: is this physical restlessness interfering with their daily life? If their inability to sit still or control their impulses is actively disrupting their learning, preventing them from making friends, or hurting their self-esteem, that\u2019s when it\u2019s time to pay closer attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And if these physical signs are showing up in your child\u2019s life, he warns against waiting for them to just \u201cgrow out of it\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider reaching out to your paediatrician. Our job isn\u2019t just to label behaviour; it\u2019s to help you untangle whether you are looking at standard childhood energy, anxiety, or ADHD, and then put a practical support system in place,\u201d he ended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a form of neurodivergence that\u2019s thought to impact around 700,000 children in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[736,7503,59,102,737,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-709256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-adhd","tag-children","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-neurodivergent","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}