Ask about bullying and exclusion
Make it easier for your child to tell you when other kids hurt them or leave them out.
Not ratedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Say it out loud until it sounds like you: 'If someone is hurting or excluding you, I want to know and help.'
5 minutes
Ask about one part of your child's day and listen without jumping straight to advice.
15 minutes
If something has happened, record the basic facts and prepare a safety-focused conversation with school.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in people with ADHD.
Large US ADHD parent survey for prevalence; public-health guidance for responding, without an ADHD-specific intervention effect.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
In a US parent survey, 46.9% of children with ADHD were reported as bullied, picked on or excluded. That is a broad survey measure, not a prediction for your child. It is still a good reason to ask instead of waiting for them to bring it up. Public-health guidance says to listen, check safety and work with adults at school on a response.
How to do it
- Ask about particular places: lunch, the bus, the group chat.
- Stay calm, thank them for telling you, and check they are safe right now.
- Agree the next step with the school, then keep checking that the behaviour has stopped.
Seek urgent help for threats or injury. Respond to harm whether your child was targeted, harmed others or both.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- 'Who do you sit with at lunch, and does anyone make it hard for you to join in?'
- Tell school what happened and ask who will check that your child is safe.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeBlaming the child can stop them telling you anything. Make it clear the bullying is not their fault.
- Common mistakeTelling a child to fight back can increase danger, so work with adults on a safer response.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- 46.9% of children with ADHD were reported as bullied, picked on or excluded (Journal of Attention Disorders, 2022)
- Benefit
- 65/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Some effort
Sources
- Tier 2 studyFactors Associated With Bullying Victimization and Bullying Perpetration in Children and Adolescents With ADHD: 2016 to 2017 National Survey of Children's HealthJournal of Attention Disorders, 2022
- Tier 1 guidelineHow to Prevent BullyingUS Department of Health and Human Services, 2021
- Tier 1 guidelineSupport the Children InvolvedUS Department of Health and Human Services, 2026
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.