The Three Types of ADHD: What Families and Educators Need to Know
To explore this on a deeper level, we spoke with Jenny Sandler, a specialist autism and ADHD educator, consultant, and advisor supporting children, parents, and schools.
Apr 09
Summary
Understanding the three recognised types of ADHD is essential for anyone supporting a child through ADHD schooling, navigating ADHD in the classroom, or exploring ADHD and education more broadly. So, what do these subtypes mean for learning, behaviour, and support?
ADHD isn’t one‑size‑fits‑all. Anyone who’s lived with it, taught students with ADHD, or been a parent to a child with ADHD knows that already. What often gets lost in the stereotypes is just how different ADHD can look from person to person. Some people are driven by fast‑moving ideas, some get lost in daydreams, and others sit somewhere in the middle, juggling both worlds at once.
Before we talk strategies, strengths, or support, it helps to understand the three types of ADHD, and why recognising the differences can completely change how we see neurodivergent minds. So, what do these subtypes mean for learning, behaviour, and support?
1. Inattentive Type (ADHD‑I)
This is often the most misunderstood presentation, especially in busy classrooms where quiet struggles can go unnoticed.
What are the key characteristics of ADHD-I?
- Difficulty sustaining focus
- Easily distracted or “zoning out”
- Forgetting instructions
- Losing belongings
- Challenges with organisation and planning
How does it impact learning?
Inattentive ADHD can significantly affect ADHD schooling and classroom participation. These students may appear disengaged, when in reality they’re working incredibly hard to keep up. Teachers often describe them as “daydreamy”, but this is a neurological difference, not a lack of motivation.
Ways To Support ADHD Learners
- Visual schedules and checklists
- Breaking tasks into smaller steps
- Calm, structured learning environments
- Learning support for ADHD that builds executive‑function skills
This is where a tutor for ADHD can make a huge difference, especially for children who benefit from personalised, low‑pressure guidance.
2. Hyperactive‑Impulsive Type (ADHD‑HI)
This presentation is more visible and often leads to misunderstandings in school settings.
What are the key characteristics of ADHD-HI?
- High energy and restlessness
- Difficulty staying seated
- Impulsive actions or speech
- Interrupting or struggling to wait
- Seeking movement or sensory input
How does it impact learning?
For teachers, managing ADHD in the classroom can be challenging when impulsivity and movement needs are high. These children may be corrected more often, which can affect self‑esteem. Understanding the neurobiology behind their behaviour is key to supporting ADHD in the classroom with compassion.
Ways To Support ADHD Learners
- Movement breaks
- Sensory‑friendly seating
- Predictable routines
- Warm, consistent boundaries
- Activities that channel energy into creativity
Specialist tutoring for ADHD students can help children develop self‑regulation strategies in a supportive, non‑judgemental space.
3. Combined Type (ADHD‑C)
The most common presentation, combining traits from both inattentive and hyperactive‑impulsive types.
What are the key characteristics of ADHD-C?
- Difficulty focusing
- High levels of restlessness
- Impulsivity
- Forgetfulness
- Emotional dysregulation
- Creativity, humour, curiosity, resilience
How does it impact learning?
Children with combined ADHD often experience fluctuating performance. One day they may excel; the next, they may struggle with basic tasks. This inconsistency can be confusing for adults and frustrating for the child.
This is where teachers and ADHD students benefit from clear communication, with flexible expectations, and a strengths‑based approach.
Ways To Support ADHD Learners
- Flexible teaching methods
- Emotional validation
- Executive‑function coaching
- Collaborative home–school–tutor communication
- ADHD supports in the classroom that adapt to the child’s needs
Many families also look for private tutors specialising in ADHD to provide consistent, personalised support.
ADHD and Education: Why Understanding The Subtypes Matters
Recognising the three ADHD presentations helps adults tailor support that actually works. It also reduces shame, misunderstanding, and unnecessary conflict in school environments.
Understanding ADHD subtypes is essential for:
- ADHD and special education planning
- Creating inclusive classrooms
- Reducing behavioural misunderstandings
- Improving emotional wellbeing
- Supporting academic progress
- Strengthening relationships between teachers and ADHD students
Whether a child is learning in person or navigating ADHD and online learning, personalised support makes a profound difference.
How ADHD Affects Executive Functioning Skills
Understanding the three subtypes of ADHD is only part of the picture. ADHD also affects a set of mental processes known as executive functioning skills, which are the abilities we rely on to plan, organise, remember, regulate emotions, and manage daily life. These skills sit at the core of how we learn, work, and navigate the world, and they are often significantly impacted in ADHD.
To explore this on a deeper level, we spoke with Jenny Sandler, a specialist autism and ADHD educator, consultant, and advisor supporting children, parents, and schools. Jenny has over two decades of experience and holds a Master of Education in Autism in Children from the University of Birmingham and a Master of Arts in Literacy Learning and Difficulties from the Institute of Education, University of London. She is also a certified Executive Function coach with extensive ADHD training, supporting secondary pupils with academic workload, social life, priorities, and time management. Her understanding of executive functioning underpins all her work with families and schools.
Jenny describes executive functioning as:
“Executive functioning skills are the skills we have that we need to run our lives effectively. So we need to have good executive functioning skills to remember shopping lists, get to appointments on time, make and keep friends, and adapt to changes in our routines. They are often described as the air traffic control centre of our brain.”
She also highlights how our understanding of ADHD has evolved:
“ADHD has been traditionally described as a condition that affects one’s ability to sit still and pay attention. But it is now being described and more accurately defined as a condition that affects executive functioning and that is why it can be hard to sit still and pay attention at times.”
Jenny breaks executive functioning into three core components: Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, and Inhibitory Control. Each one plays a crucial role in how children and adults manage daily tasks, learning, and emotional regulation.
Working Memory
Working memory is the ability to hold information in mind while using it. Jenny explains it as:
“Holding on to a phone number while dialing it, remembering times tables or math facts, remembering what happens in a story when reading it.”
In everyday life, working memory challenges might look like:
- forgetting multi‑step instructions
- losing track of what they were doing mid‑task
- struggling to apply a method they’ve just learned
- difficulty recalling sequences, routines, or details
For many children with ADHD, this is why they may understand something one day and forget it the next, not because they aren’t trying, but because their working memory is overloaded.
Cognitive Flexibility
Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift between tasks, ideas, or perspectives. Jenny describes it as:
“Ability to think about different concepts at the same time and adapt our behaviour as the situation requires.”
She adds that it includes multitasking and adaptability:
“How we adapt to changes in our routine or bumps along the road.”
When cognitive flexibility is impacted, children may:
- struggle to switch tasks
- become distressed when plans change
- get “stuck” on an idea or routine
- find transitions difficult
This isn’t stubbornness, it’s neurological. Changes that seem small to adults can feel enormous to a child whose brain struggles to shift gears.
Inhibitory Control
Inhibitory control is the ability to pause, resist impulses, and manage emotional responses. Jenny explains:
“Ability to suppress a thought, action or feeling. Young children have a much weaker sense of inhibitory control.”
She also links it to planning and task initiation:
“Stopping what you want to do to start the things that you have to do.”
In practice, this might look like:
- impulsive actions or speech
- difficulty waiting or taking turns
- emotional outbursts or meltdowns
- trouble starting tasks that feel boring or overwhelming
This is one of the most visibly challenging aspects of ADHD, and one of the most misunderstood.
Why This Matters When Understanding ADHD Subtypes
Executive functioning challenges show up differently across the three ADHD subtypes:
- Inattentive ADHD may struggle most with working memory and task initiation.
- Hyperactive‑Impulsive ADHD often shows more difficulty with inhibitory control.
- Combined Type ADHD experiences challenges across all three areas.
Supporting executive functioning is one of the most effective ways to help children with ADHD thrive, regardless of subtype.
How SEND Tutoring Supports ADHD Learners
SEND Tutoring offers:
- Individual tutoring for ADHD
- Tutors for learners who need subject‑specific support, like an ADHD maths tutor for example.
- Trauma‑informed, neuroaffirming teaching
- Support for families navigating ADHD and education systems
Many families search for ADHD tutoring because they want someone who truly understands their child’s needs. Our tutors have extensive experience working as qualified teachers (QTS) for students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other SEND needs. They provide a warm, structured, and empowering learning environment, with a focus on fun and engaging lessons that are tailored to your child’s specific SEND profile.
If you’re exploring support for a child with ADHD…
We’re here to help. Whether you’re seeking a tutor for ADHD, guidance on managing ADHD in the classroom, or simply a conversation about what your child needs, SEND Tutoring offers a compassionate and inclusive space for families.
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About the author
Ella Jones
If you’re looking for support for a child or young person with special educational needs or a disability, book a free call with us today and find out how we can help.
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