Self-harm assessment tool
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. While teachers are often the first to notice symptoms, they may lack the formal framework to provide the clinical data you need for an accurate assessment.
This article provides a clinical overview of ADHD symptoms in school settings, a guide to managing collateral ADHD forms for teachers, and an ADHD survey for teachers to support your assessment process.
We’ve included a free downloadable ADHD checklist for teachers and therapists designed to be uploaded directly to your electronic health record (EHR) for streamlined documentation.
What is ADHD?
ADHD is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interfere with functioning or development.
Typically, ADHD presents in childhood and continues into adulthood. Research suggests approximately 43% of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to experience clinically significant symptoms as adults.
According to the DSM-5-TR, there are three clinical presentations of ADHD:
Inattentive ADHD: Symptoms include difficulty sustaining focus, frequent daydreaming, struggling to follow complex instructions, or appearing easily distracted.
Hyperactive/impulsive ADHD: Symptoms include excessive motor activity or fidgeting, restlessness, difficulty engaging in quiet activities, impulsive decision-making, interrupting others, or struggling with turn-taking.
Combined type: This presentation is used when a client meets the diagnostic criteria for both hyperactive and inattentive symptoms across several settings.
For a formal diagnosis, several symptoms must be present before age 12 and occur in two or more settings (e.g., at school, home, or in social environments). Clinicians must also determine that the symptoms reduce the client's quality of life and overall level of functioning.
Because observations from a second setting are required, a comprehensive evaluation often includes an ADHD survey for teachers to assess the child’s behavior and peer interactions in a classroom environment. We elaborate on these ADHD questionnaires for teachers below, including how to integrate an ADHD checklist for teachers into your clinical documentation.
For comprehensive information on ADHD and diagnostic criteria to share with parents and teachers, download our ADHD fact sheet.
ADHD checklist for teachers and therapists
The following ADHD checklist for teachers is a valuable tool for clinicians to provide to educators when observing students in a school setting.
When reviewing the completed form, mark or note behaviors that occur often or very often and significantly impact learning or classroom functioning.
Signs of inattention
Seems not to listen when spoken to directly
Frequent daydreaming
Makes careless mistakes in schoolwork
Has difficulty following directions
Loses things needed for school, like homework or books
Struggles to finish tasks
Trouble with organizing tasks and activities
Easily distracted
Difficulty concentrating
Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained attention
Signs of hyperactivity/impulsivity
Fidgets or squirms in their seat
Leaves their seat at inappropriate times, like during class
Runs or climbs excessively
Appears to be constantly on the go, like being run by a motor
Talks excessively
Interrupts others
Struggles to wait their turn
Blurts out answers before the question is finished
Difficulty playing quietly
Other considerations
Symptoms impact learning
Behavior affects classroom functioning
Symptoms are observed in more than one setting
Classroom management techniques
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several classroom management strategies to support children with ADHD in school, including:
Implementing a structure with a set routine and schedule.
Creating a token economy system that outlines rewards for meeting behavioral goals.
Using smaller groups for activities.
Encouraging kids to pause before responding to questions or contributing to a conversation.
Allowing accommodations to help children succeed, such as extra test time, advanced notice for assignments, a quiet environment, and regular breaks.
Communicating and collaborating regularly with parents to provide feedback, report progress, and problem solve.
ADHD paperwork for teachers
These forms are completed by teachers to inform your clinical assessment—not to diagnose. Collateral teacher data should be integrated alongside parent reports, clinical interviews, and direct observation before drawing diagnostic conclusions.
As part of the formal assessment process, educators may be asked to complete specific ADHD surveys for teachers.
The most commonly used ADHD surveys for teachers include:
Vanderbilt Assessment Scale–Teacher Informant: This questionnaire contains 43 questions assessing ADHD symptoms, classroom behavior, and academic performance. Once completed, a qualified mental health professional considers it together with information from parents as part of a clinical evaluation.
Conners Rating Scale: This questionnaire evaluates children and adolescents aged six to 18 based on 18 symptoms from the DSM-5. Teachers, parents, and sometimes older children can complete it.
Research shows that while teacher rating scales are helpful in diagnosing, interviews and observations with teachers are recommended as the gold standard of assessment.
Note that both the Vanderbilt and Conners scales have corresponding parent-report versions. Best practice is to collect both teacher and parent forms to capture behavior across settings, as required by DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.
How to use the ADHD checklist for teachers
You can download and use this ADHD checklist for teachers in several ways to support your assessment process.
Request the completed ADHD checklist for teachers directly from the educator, or have it uploaded to your EHR as part of the intake documentation.
Review flagged behaviors alongside parent-report data and your own clinical observations when building your diagnostic formulation. Keep a copy in the client's file to support ongoing treatment planning and to share with parents during feedback sessions.
After a diagnosis is established, clinicians can play an active role in supporting school-based accommodations. Families may be eligible to request a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) through their child's school. Sharing your clinical findings with the school team can help ensure the child receives appropriate support in the classroom.
Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017). How Schools Can Help Children with ADHD.
Child Mind Institute. (n.d.). Teachers Guide to ADHD.
Di Lorenzo, R., Balducci, J., Poppi, C., Arcolin, E., Cutino, A., et al. (2021). Children and adolescents with ADHD followed up to adulthood: a systematic review of long-term outcomes. Acta Neuropsychiatrica.
Garcia-Rosales, A., Vitoratou, S., Faraone, S. V., Rudaizky, D., Banaschewski, T., et al. (2021). Differential utility of teacher and parent-teacher combined information in the assessment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms. European child & adolescent psychiatry.
Kirkpatrick, R. M., & Johnson, A. M. (2023). Teachers' perspectives on ADHD: Challenges and strategies in the classroom. Journal of Special Education Research.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Staff, A. I., Oosterlaan, J., van der Oord, S., Hoekstra, P. J., Vertessen, K., et al. (2021). The Validity of Teacher Rating Scales for the Assessment of ADHD Symptoms in the Classroom: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders.
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