Your daughter's school report might be describing ADHD. Nobody's calling it that.

Most girls with ADHD never get the hyperactive label. They get a different set of words.

"Chatty." "Disorganised." "Lovely girl, just needs to apply herself."

Teachers write those comments every term. Parents read them and think, "That's her personality." But those exact phrases are textbook inattentive ADHD. The presentation is most common in girls. And the one least likely to be recognised.

Three things parents often miss:

1. The homework battle that takes two hours isn't about effort. Her brain's "start" button needs a different kind of trigger. Deadlines and consequences don't work the same way for her.
2. The after-school meltdown doesn't mean she had a bad day. It means she spent all day holding everything together at school, and now there's nothing left.
3. The anxiety that won't shift might not be the primary problem. Girls with ADHD are significantly more likely to be treated for anxiety first, sometimes for years, before anyone looks deeper.

Tonight, try this: go back and read her last three school reports. Look at the language, not the grades. You'll see the pattern now.

The full breakdown (with the brain science behind each sign) is here.

Nicole Robinson​ Principal and Clinical Psychologist, ProActive Psychology ​proactivepsychology.com.au​