Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Many young children seem to have endless energy and struggle with staying focused or organised but children with ADHD may seem unable to sit still, constantly distracted, struggle to wait their turn, think before they speak or consider risks. Some children will also have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

If you think your child may have ADHD it’s a good idea to speak to your child’s teacher, school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) or your GP.

What causes ADHD?

We don’t know what causes ADHD but it does run in families and it is more common in children who were born prematurely or had a low birthweight.

How can I help my child?

Looking after a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it's important to remember that they cannot help their behaviour.

Children with ADHD often struggle with things like getting to sleep at night, getting ready for school on time, being organised and social occasions. This can make life difficult and stressful for everyone, but there are a range of ways we can help you to help your child.

It’s a good idea to ask teachers for help you with adjustments that could make school life easier for your child. Every child is different and what works for one child may not work for yours, but it may be a good idea to asking your child’s teacher to give them a task which allow them to get up and move around during lessons, moving them away from distractions like windows or doors, sitting them at the front of the class to help them focus and breaking down tasks into numbered steps.

Medicines which may help your child can only be prescribed by a clinical psychologist after an assessment and diagnosis.

Strategies and advice

We have a number of workshops which have advice and strategies you can try with your child. It’s important to try new strategies for at least six weeks as it can take time for children to.

Under 5s

If your child is under five years-old our Health Visiting Service provides support and confidential health advice on:

your child’s growth and development
behaviour difficulties, such as sleeping, eating, toilet training and temper tantrums
healthy eating, hygiene, safety and exercise.

Children who are at school

The School Health Service provides support for primary and secondary-aged children with a variety of health issues and can refer your child to specialist services if they need extra help or support.

These include:

daytime and night-time wetting and soiling
behaviour management
healthy eating and lifestyle
emotional health and wellbeing
puberty and growing up
sexual health
stopping smoking
drug and alcohol misuse
sleep
complex health needs.

There are a number of school health teams across Kent. Referring to one of the teams is easy:

0300 123 4496
kchft.schoolhealth@nhs.net
Online referral form

Early Help Service

If you are worried about your child’s behaviour

If you are worried about your child’s behaviour, if you are struggling to cope, if your child is refusing to go to school/college or is having difficulties with family relationships or a bereavement you can contact our Early Help Triage Team.

03000 41 92 22
earlyhelp@kent.gov.uk

Your child’s GP or preschool/school can make a referral on your behalf. More information about can be found at www.kelsi.org.uk/earlyhelp.

Local Inclusion Forum Team

If the staff at your child’s preschool or school need additional advice, training or support to help your child, then the SENCO can make a referral to the Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT). You will need to give consent for this to happen.

At the Early Years LIFT meeting the SENCO will share your child’s needs and explain what they have done to try to help your child Other settings/schools and professionals, for example, an educational psychologist or specialist teacher may suggest further strategies that they can try to support your child.

The outcomes of the LIFT meeting should be shared with you by the SENCO so you can work together to set targets and a plan for your child.

More help

Read about the LIFT process

Supporting challenging behaviour

If you need help with supporting challenging behaviour, you may find the advice here useful.

Referrals

If you have concerns please see our Community Paediatrics page for information on how to refer your child.

Useful websites

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for an initial assessment and when will my child be seen?

Unfortunately, our waiting times for initial assessment with our service are significantly delayed. You will be contacted by telephone or letter when your child has been booked an appointment.

Please see the Community Paediatrics webpage for up-to-date waiting times, help and advice.

If at any point during your wait time you feel your child no longer requires an assessment or you obtain a private assessment please let us know as soon as possible.

English is not my first language

I have been informed that questionnaires will be needed for my next appointment, when will I receive these?

The majority of our questionnaires are available to access on our website under “Questionnaire links for children open to the service”. These are available to use for both schools and parent/guardians.

If we have asked you to complete questionnaires, you can download them from our website and send them back to our questionnaire email address: kentchft.qscommpaed@nhs.net.

If a clinician requires further questionnaires before your child's appointment, these will be sent to you/your child's school directly.

Some questionnaires are essential for screening, and we may need to request this information again closer to your child's appointment date.

If your child has changed school or you have changed email address, please let us know as soon as possible to avoid delays to your child's appointment.

Is it possible to have appointments outside of school hours such as after 4pm?

I need to cancel my appointment, how much notice do I have to give?

We ask that you give us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel an appointment, though we know that this will not always be possible.

Please be aware that after cancelling an appointment, there may be a significant wait for another because we have so many children waiting to be seen.

If two appointments are cancelled in a row this may result in your child being discharged from the service.

My child has just had their appointment and I wondered how long I will have to wait for the medical report?

My child has been newly diagnosed with ADHD, what happens next?

My child has been medicated, how do I get a repeat prescription?

Your child's medical report will be sent to your doctor (GP) who will continue to prescribe medication under a shared care agreement.

Your child will be reviewed by the community paediatrician every three, six or nine months.

If you are concerned about the medication your child is taking you will be asked to see a paediatrician for a possible medication change, but it will be your doctor who will continue to prescribe. They will not be able to change medication or dose until you have been reviewed buy our team.

How do I get to speak to a paediatrician, I am worried about my child?

If you child has not been referred to the Community Paediatric Service then you will need to speak to your doctor or preferably your child’s school to be referred.

If you are worried/concerned about a prescription, medication or your child’s medical report, please call 0300 123 4087 to speak to the Medical Admin Team or email kentchft.cpmedicaladmin@nhs.net.

Please note we are not an emergency service. Please allow 72 hours for us to respond to calls and emails.

If you or your family need urgent medical attention then please call 999 or visit A&E immediately.

My child is having violent outbursts and threatening self-harm, can I have an earlier appointment?

This is not a reason to see a paediatrician; it is a reason to go to A&E to be seen by CAMHS.

If you need immediate help you can you can contact NELFT (CYPMHS Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Service) on 0300 123 4496, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

(Please note that from 6pm on weekdays and 12pm on Saturdays, all calls will be automatically diverted to the NELFT Mental Health Direct support lines which is a team of dedicated professionals waiting to take your call.)

If you are a patient or have been referred you can contact us to request an early appointment in writing. Please include your reasons for requesting an earlier appointment which will be passed to a clinician to review.

If my child is not diagnosed with a specific diagnosis, what are the next steps and how do I get support?

If you child is not given a specific diagnosis, the clinician will explore other issues to see if there is an underlying problem.

You may find find the advice on challenging behaviour from our Community Paediatric team helpful.

You can also contact Kent County Council www.kent.gov.uk/earlyhelp for Early Help and Preventative Services. If there is no support or treatment available from our service you will be discharged.

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