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ADHD

ADHD vs. Being Fidgety: Pediatricians Explain the Difference

Brittany DoohanKaren Hovav, MD, FAAP
Written by Brittany Doohan | Reviewed by Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP
Updated on March 4, 2025
Featuring Alok Patel, MD, Susan Samuels, MDReviewed by Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP | March 4, 2025

What differentiates a child with ADHD from a kid who’s fidgety is how the symptoms affect the child’s ability to function in everyday life. In this video, pediatricians explain how they tell the difference between hyperactivity caused by ADHD and normal childhood fidgety behavior.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). About attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Wagnus, W., et al. (2023). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. StatPearls.

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Brittany Doohan
Written by:
Brittany Doohan
Brittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.
Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

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