National Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Day in South Africa will be celebrated on 14 September, while October is Global ADHD Awareness Month. This year’s theme, “The Many Faces of ADHD,” reminds us that ADHD cannot be viewed through a one-size-fits-all lens. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds, and its presentation can be as unique as the individuals living with it. The colour for ADHD awareness is orange. It combines red, the symbol of pure energy, with yellow, the symbol of happiness. Orange represents enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, and stimulation (ADHDWA, 2025).
The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) recently published ‘The SASOP/PsychMg child and adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder guidelines’ which provide a set of diagnostic and treatment guidelines relevant to the South African context (Belsham, Kelly, & Schoeman, 2025). This information is helpful for parents, and professionals supporting parents, when investigating an ADHD diagnosis for their child. Best practice is a thorough, multi-step assessment rather than a single quick appointment. Here is a summary of these guidelines for quick reference.
- Seek an assessment from a child psychiatrist, paediatric neurologist, or neurodevelopmental paediatrician with specific ADHD expertise. Avoid relying solely on general checklists or quick online tests for diagnosis.
- Diagnosis must follow DSM-5 criteria. Expect a full clinical interview including:
- Your child’s developmental, medical, and psychosocial history.
- School reports and teacher rating scales.
- Input from other professionals (e.g., educational psychologists, occupational or speech therapists) if relevant.
- A physical examination should be done to exclude other medical conditions.
- Vision and hearing should be checked; other tests (blood work, ECG) are only necessary if indicated. Neuroimaging, brain scans, or EEG are not standard unless specific issues like epilepsy are suspected.
- The specialist should ask about sleep, diet, routines, screen time, and stress at home or school. ADHD symptoms can be worsened by poor sleep, excessive digital media use, or unstructured environments.
- ADHD often comes with other challenges. These must be assessed because treatment plans may differ depending on what else is present.
Good assessments involve parents, teachers, and healthcare providers working together. Parents should be encouraged to ask questions and understand the process before any treatment is discussed.
Our August 2025 SAISI newsletter is titled ADHD across the lifespan and is packed with valuable insights; particularly through the information shared in the two articles, interview and book review.
The first article, ‘The ADHD Brain in the Classroom: From Preschool to Preteens’ is authored by SASI board member, Emma Wijnberg. Emma explores ADHD through a sensory integration lens, providing a compassionate and developmentally informed perspective. The article emphasises understanding ADHD not just as a behavioural issue but as a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting executive function, emotional regulation, motor coordination, and sensory processing. Emma ends off her article with the following message for Occupational Therapists,
“As therapists, we walk alongside these children on their journeys, as translators, advocates, and co-regulators. When we understand the ADHD brain, and not just the behaviours it produces, we can create environments where these children thrive. Our work is not to fix ADHD. It’s to unlock potential, honour individuality, and build bridges between the child and their world”.
The second article, ‘ADHD in Girls: Our Lived Neurodiverse Household Experience’ is authored by Anneri Oosthuizen. Through a beautifully personal and practical article, Anneri explores how ADHD can present in girls and how this plays out practically in their home.
“When people think of ADHD, they often picture a boy bouncing off the walls, blurting out answers, and forgetting his pencil case for the fifth time this week. But in our household, ADHD wears many faces—and most of them are female.”
Anneri also shares practical tips based on what helps their neurodiverse home thrive.
For the interview, Liani Austin interviews Ray-Anne Cook, as she unpacks and describes her experience as an OT living with ADHD. The following two quotes stood out for me:
“I always look at the positive side of ADHD because the whole world focuses on everything that’s wrong with us, and we need to be reminded of what’s right with us” and,
“ADHD is not a lack of knowledge; it is a performance issue. It’s about being able to apply what you know, when you need to.”
The Newsletter also includes a book review, written by Liani Austin, based on the book ‘The Manual That Never Came with Your Child’. Liani expresses that the book is “Exceptionally readable, accessible, and full of practical ideas rooted in research”.
Access the full SAISI newsletter here to explore more.
References
ADHD WA. (2025). ADHD awareness month – October 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://www.adhdwa.org/get-involved/adhd-awareness-month-october-2025/
Belsham, B., Kelly, L., & Schoeman, R. (2025). The SASOP/PsychMg child and adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder guidelines. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 31, a2357. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v31i0.2357
