Ask about bullying and exclusion
Not ratedADHD evidence
Help your child tell you when other kids hurt or exclude them.
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 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict 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.