There are Different ways of classifying ADHD

A doctor diagnoses ADHD by looking at your child's symptoms. There are two different ways to assess symptoms.

DSM-IV

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (known as DSM-IV-TR) classifies ADHD in three ways, based on the child’s behaviour.

The symptoms are split into two categories: inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. A doctor will look at how many symptoms your child has in each category.

• ADHD combined type: this is the most common type: and means the child has six or more symptoms in each category.


• ADHD predominantly inattentive type: this means the child has six or more inattention symptoms but fewer than six hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms.


• ADHD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type: this is the least common type and means that the child has six or more hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms but fewer than six inattention symptoms