The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) both name three main ADHD presentations: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive and combined. The NHS website and the APA’s public page also use the word “type”. In the WHO’s ICD-11, inattentive symptoms predominate in the inattentive presentation, and symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity predominate in the hyperactive-impulsive one. In the combined presentation, both are clinically significant, with neither clearly predominating.

The NHS website talks about an inattentive type and a hyperactive-impulsive type. In most people, it says, symptoms of both are present. Some show the signs of one type only.

This guide gives general information and is not medical advice. We read every page below on 21 October 2026. In the tables, the words in quote marks are each source’s own.

What do the three types of ADHD look like?

The NHS lists signs under two groups. The table shows its own lists for adults and for children. The NHS introduces each list with “such as” or “including”, so they are examples.

Group of signs	NHS adults page (reviewed 19 March 2025)	NHS children page (reviewed 19 March 2025)
Inattentive	being easily distracted or forgetful finding it hard to organise your time finding it hard to follow instructions or finish tasks losing things often, like your wallet, mobile or keys	being easily distracted finding it hard to listen to what people are saying or to follow instructions forgetting everyday tasks, like brushing their teeth or putting on socks
Hyperactive and impulsive	having a lot of energy or feeling restless being very talkative or interrupting conversations making quick decisions without thinking about what might happen as a result	having high energy levels fidgeting or tapping their hands and feet talking noisily feeling restless, or getting up and moving around when they’re supposed to sit still finding it hard to wait their turn, or interrupting conversations

Inattentive ADHD: the inattentive presentation

NHS inform says some people with ADHD have problems with inattentiveness but not with hyperactivity or impulsiveness. The WHO adds this (read 21 October 2026):

In a subset of individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, especially in children, an exclusively inattentive presentation may occur. There is no hyperactivity and the presentation is characterized by daydreaming, mind-wandering, and a lack of focus.

For how inattentive ADHD can look in women and in girls, see our guides to ADHD in women and ADHD in girls.

Hyperactive-impulsive ADHD: the hyperactive-impulsive presentation

The WHO words some signs of this presentation by age. For younger children it lists “has difficulty sitting still without fidgeting”. For adolescents and adults it lists “feelings of physical restlessness, a sense of discomfort with being quiet or sitting still”.

Young children can show some of these signs without having ADHD. The NHS says (children’s page, read 21 October 2026):

Many children are easily distracted, impulsive and have high energy levels, particularly if they’re under the age of 5. This does not mean they have ADHD.

Combined type: the combined presentation

The APA names a “Combined presentation”. The WHO’s ICD-11 has one too, in which neither group of symptoms clearly predominates. Both bodies’ names for it are in the tables below. The two NHS lists above are the signs it gives for adults and for children.

How do the signs differ in children and adults?

The sources say signs can vary with age. The parents’ page of the Royal College of Psychiatrists notes that hyperactivity “might be more obvious in younger children”. The WHO says that in many cases hyperactivity symptoms predominate in preschool and decrease with age. It says they may instead be reported as feelings of physical restlessness. The APA says (read 21 October 2026):

ADHD symptoms can change over time and may look different in adults than in children. For adults, impulsivity and hyperactivity may decrease or appear as extreme restlessness. Inattention may persist.

NICE says clinicians should consider ADHD at any age. The symptom criteria should be adjusted for “age-appropriate changes in behaviour”.

Can a presentation change?

The WHO says it can. Its ICD-11 entry says (read 21 October 2026):

The relative balance and the specific manifestations of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive characteristics varies across individuals and may change over the course of development.

The same entry says a person’s main symptom pattern “often changes over time”. The Royal College of Psychiatrists describes a shift with age on its adults page. It says hyperactive and impulsive symptoms tend to be more common in childhood. For some people they tend to be less of a challenge over time. Inattentive symptoms tend to become more of an issue in the teenage years and adulthood.

Willcutt and colleagues (2012) reviewed 546 studies to evaluate the validity of the DSM-IV model of ADHD. They report “the marked longitudinal instability of all three subtypes”. The authors say the subtypes (abstract read 21 October 2026):

provide a convenient clinical shorthand to describe the functional and behavioral correlates of current levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, but do not identify discrete subgroups with sufficient long-term stability to justify the classification of distinct forms of the disorder.

One older study followed children for eight years (Lahey and colleagues, 2005). It was a volunteer sample of 118 children aged 4 to 6 who met the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. The setting was outpatient clinics. Of the 83 children with the combined subtype, 31 (37%) met the criteria for a different subtype at least twice in the next six assessments. So did 6 of the 12 children with the inattentive subtype. This is one study. We read only its abstract, which names no country.

What do the main sources call the types?

The sources do not all use the same words. The table shows what each page calls the groups of ADHD symptoms, if it names them. “Page date” is the date the page shows.

Source	Its words for the groups	Page date
NHS website (England): the adults page and the children and young people page	“Most people with ADHD will have symptoms of both the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive type. Some only show signs of one type.” The children’s page says the same for “children and young people”.	Reviewed 19 March 2025
NHS 111 Wales: the adults page and the children and young people page	The same sentences. The pages say NHS Wales adapted them from the NHS website.	Last updated 4 July 2025
NHS inform (Scotland): the adults page	Headings “Inattentiveness” and “Hyperactivity and impulsiveness”. “Some people with ADHD have problems with inattentiveness, but not with hyperactivity or impulsiveness.”	Last updated 23 June 2026
nidirect (Northern Ireland): a page mainly about children	One list headed “ADHD symptoms include:”. It gives no names to groups.	No date shown
Royal College of Psychiatrists: the adults page	A table with two columns headed “Inattention” and “Hyperactivity and impulsivity”.	Published June 2023
NICE guideline NG87 (England and Wales)	“typical manifestations of ADHD (hyperactivity/impulsivity and/or inattention)” and “the diagnostic criteria for hyperkinetic disorder in DSM-5 or ICD-11”.	Published 14 March 2018, last updated 13 September 2019
American Psychiatric Association: the public page “What is ADHD?”	“ADHD can be further divided into three main subtypes”: “Predominantly inattentive presentation.” “Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive presentation.” “Combined presentation.” Its headings say “Inattentive type”, “Hyperactive/impulsive type” and “Combined type”.	October 2025, as shown on the page
WHO: ICD-11 (“ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics”), code 6A05	“predominantly inattentive presentation” (6A05.0), “predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation” (6A05.1), “combined presentation” (6A05.2), “other specified presentation” (6A05.Y) and “presentation unspecified” (6A05.Z).	Release 2026-01
WHO: ICD-10 (“International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision”), code F90	“Hyperkinetic disorders” (F90), which includes “Disturbance of activity and attention” (F90.0). Under F90.0 it lists “Attention deficit: disorder with hyperactivity”.	Version 2019
DSM-5, as adapted in a 2013 New England Journal of Medicine review	A heading “Current presentation” with “Combined presentation”, “Predominantly inattentive presentation” and “Predominantly hyperactive and impulsive presentation”.	Published 14 November 2013

On 21 October 2026 we searched the ADHD text of the NHS, NHS 111 Wales, NHS inform, nidirect, NICE and Royal College of Psychiatrists pages. None used “presentation”, “subtype” or “predominant”. The APA and the WHO do use “presentation”.

What is a presentation?

In ICD-11, a presentation is added to an ADHD diagnosis. A person must first meet all the requirements for ADHD. The WHO says what the presentation is for (read 21 October 2026):

The characteristics of the current clinical presentation should be described using one of the following specifiers, which are meant to assist in recording the main reason for the current referral or services.

A 2013 review in the New England Journal of Medicine says what DSM-5 did with the older groups (read 21 October 2026):

The previous enumeration of three “subtypes” … was eliminated in the DSM-5, which instead focuses on “presentations at the time of assessment.” This change reflects the developmental instability of ADHD symptoms.

The table shows how the WHO and the 2013 review word each presentation.

Presentation	WHO, ICD-11	DSM-5, as adapted in the 2013 review
Inattentive	“All diagnostic requirements for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are met and inattentive symptoms predominate.”	“Predominantly inattentive presentation: criteria for inattention are met but criteria for hyperactivity and impulsivity are not met.”
Hyperactive-impulsive	“All diagnostic requirements for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are met and symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity predominate.”	“Predominantly hyperactive and impulsive presentation: criteria for hyperactivity and impulsivity are met and criteria for inattention are not met.”
Combined	“All diagnostic requirements for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are met and both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms are clinically significant aspects of the current clinical presentation, with neither clearly predominating.”	“Combined presentation: criteria for both inattention and hyperactivity and impulsivity have been present for the past 6 months.”

What other words might you meet?

You may see other names for these groups. Here is what the sources say about three of them.

Subtypes. The APA public page says ADHD “can be further divided into three main subtypes”. The 2013 review says DSM-5 removed the “subtypes”. The 2012 review calls the DSM-IV groups “three nominal subtypes”.
Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. ICD-11 lists this, and “attention deficit syndrome with hyperactivity”, under the ADHD code. ICD-10 lists “Attention deficit: disorder with hyperactivity” under F90.0.
Hyperkinetic disorder. ICD-10 is the 10th Revision of the WHO’s classification. It uses “Hyperkinetic disorders” as the name of the group F90. ICD-11 says one pattern within the combined presentation is often referred to by this term (see the quote below). NICE uses it for the diagnostic criteria that hyperactive, impulsive or inattentive symptoms should meet.

This is what ICD-11 says about the term (read 21 October 2026):

In a subset of individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, combined presentation, severe inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity are both consistently present in most of the situations that an individual encounters, and are also evidenced by the clinician’s own observations. This pattern is often referred to as hyperkinetic disorder and is considered a more severe form of the disorder.

Our ADHD and ADD guide looks at the name “ADD”.

How is ADHD diagnosed in the UK?

NICE guidelines are for England and Wales. They say ADHD should be diagnosed only by a specialist psychiatrist, a paediatrician or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional. That person needs training and expertise in diagnosing it.

Our ADHD and ADD guide sets out the criteria NICE uses and the three things it says a diagnosis should be based on.

Symptoms usually begin before age 12, the NHS says. It says adults are assessed by an ADHD specialist, for instance a psychiatrist. A child’s assessment is with one or more specialists, such as a paediatrician or a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

The table sums up where the pages we read for each nation say to start.

Nation and page date	Where its pages say to start
England: NHS website, reviewed 19 March 2025	Adults: book a GP appointment if symptoms affect your studies, work or relationships. Children: start by talking to a teacher. If you are still worried, the page says you may want to see a GP.
Wales: NHS 111 Wales, last updated 4 July 2025	The same advice as the NHS website, on pages that NHS Wales adapted from it.
Scotland: NHS inform, last updated 23 June 2026 (adults) and 18 June 2026 (children)	Adults: the page says to contact your GP practice if you suspect ADHD and it has a negative effect on your life. It says assessment is not standard across Scotland and varies with the health board where you live. Children: it may help to talk to teachers before seeing your GP, and a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD. Both pages add a warning. A health board or practice might not accept a private assessment’s result.
Northern Ireland: nidirect, no date shown	The page is mainly about children. It says to tell your doctor your concerns. It says that if the doctor thinks the child has ADHD, they may refer the child to a specialist. We did not read an adult page for Northern Ireland, so this table does not cover adults there.

Right to Choose is an NHS route in England. The NHS says: “You can ask for an NHS appointment at any clinic, including a private clinic, if it provides ADHD services for the NHS in England.” A referral is needed. NHS England’s patient choice guidance says: “The legal rights do not extend to self-referrals or any referral other than from or on behalf of a GP, Dentist, or Optometrist.” Our Right to Choose guide explains the steps.

Common questions

Are there seven types of ADHD?

We did not find seven types in any source for this guide. The WHO and the APA name three presentations. The WHO adds codes for “other specified presentation” and “presentation unspecified”. We searched the ADHD pages and entries we read for “seven” and “7 types” on 21 October 2026. They came from the NHS, NHS 111 Wales, NHS inform, nidirect, NICE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the APA, the WHO and the 2013 review. None had a match.

Can a checklist confirm ADHD?

No. NHS inform says no single test or checklist can confirm ADHD. Our guide to ADHD signs and symptoms covers the signs in more detail.

Finding a clinic

You can compare private clinics on our clinics page.

Sources

Sources checked on 21 October 2026.

Understanding the Main Types of ADHD in the UK