Girls with ADHD can have a hard time making friends. They might have a lot of energy and not be good at taking turns. They may be too loud or aggressive. And girls with the “inattentive” type of ADHD may miss social cues, like how to react to other people or join a group.
Problems getting along with peers, and with making and keeping friends, affect more than half of children with ADHD. These peer problems can hurt, and lead children to dislike school and to feel sad or angry, especially when the problems go on year after year.
If you have ADHD, you might find it hard to date, make friends, or parent. That's partly because good relationships require you to be aware of other people's thoughts and feelings. But ADHD can make it hard for you to pay attention or react the right way.
Making and keeping friends requires hundreds of skills — talking, listening, sharing, being empathetic, and so on. These skills do not come naturally to children with ADHD. “They miss social cues that other kids learn by osmosis,” says Carol Brady, Ph. D., a clinical psychologist in private practice in Houston.
The symptoms of ADHD can make it hard for people living with the condition to make friends and have lasting relationships. Cynthia Hammer, MSW and ADHD coach, says that in general, people get preoccupied with their own lives, and they often don't prioritize friendships.
They may find it challenging to make and keep friends because of their brain's executive functioning impairment. The brain's executive control manages their ability to wait their turn, avoid getting distracted, direct their actions, control their emotions, and use their working memory to respond in social settings.
Children with ADHD often have a harder time monitoring their social behavior than other children. They don't always know how to read social situations and others' reactions. Parents play an important role in helping increase self-awareness in children with ADHD.
only affects going to school and doing homework, but kids with the disorder actually struggle with social interactions a lot more than kids without ADHD. Kids who have the inattentive subtype of ADHD are more likely to be ignored by their peers.
Some kids have social difficulties.
Their interpersonal skills are lacking, which puts off peers and makes it tough to develop friendships. They may not read social cues properly. They may be controlling or aggressive or talk only about themselves and show little interest in others.
Some kids develop it naturally at a young age, while others need more time. In some cases, kids simply haven't met anyone they can connect with. Different challenges can also get in the way. Some kids get too nervous or anxious to talk to others.
Characteristics of only child syndrome
The belief is that they'll grow into selfish individuals who only think about themselves and their own needs. Also, lack of interaction with a sibling is believed to cause loneliness and antisocial tendencies.
Girls with ADHD can have a hard time making friends. They might have a lot of energy and not be good at taking turns. They may be too loud or aggressive. And girls with the “inattentive” type of ADHD may miss social cues, like how to react to other people or join a group.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage.
Others with ADHD show mostly hyperactive-impulsive symptoms like fidgeting and talking a lot, finding it hard to sit still for long, interrupting others, or speaking at inappropriate times. Many people with ADHD have a combination of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.
The study showed that children with high levels of ADHD behaviours at age five were most likely to experience social isolation in the subsequent seven years.
If you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might find making and keeping friends, talking to co-workers, or just saying the right things in a social setting difficult or awkward.
Attention deficit symptoms
People with ADHD can have trouble getting on with others in social situations, although this is not always the case and some may be very sociable. They may get bored with conversation quickly and be prone to butting in or saying or doing inappropriate things without thinking.