Children with ADHD Misunderstanding their Peers' Social Cues

Children with ADHD typically have difficulty understanding their peers’ social cues. What do I mean? Here is an example:

Children are playing a hide and seek game on the playground. Jimmy wants to play with them. Instead of waiting to see if the children in question ask him to play, he tries to get involved in their game, which has already started. He goes up to one child who is hiding and says “I see you.” The children rebuff Jimmy and make mean faces at him while continuing their play. Jimmy does not pick up their cues that they do not want him to play.

Misinterpreting social cues in a school setting may be among many reasons that children with ADHD do not pay attention to another child’s actions or words.

Here is a statement that one of the Moms whom I researched told me:

(FALSE NAMES ARE USED HERE)

Like he took it away, and I didn’t know what to do, and I took
it back, then he started hitting me. The poor kid has a lot of
instances of that sort of thing happening, because he’ll misinterpret what is going on. And then when some kid does something, he’ll think he, Aaron, is innocent in the eyes of the other, and won’t understand why the other did something that seems mean. And then Aaron will react in a mean way to respond.


Another Mom also explained to me how difficult it was for Max to “read people.”

And you need to realize and read, and that is something that is his most difficult part of life, is that he doesn’t know how to read people. He just doesn’t really care if they’re getting upset because he’ll just get more upset.”

What happens when a child misunderstands another’s social
cues? He generally behaves in a socially inappropriate manner.
He does not listen to the exact words others are saying. If he
does not pay attention to those words, how would he know
how to act and react?

When the child with ADHD does not comprehend what another
child is saying, the child with ADHD may appear different
and vulnerable. Children look at him strangely wondering
why he doesn’t “get it.” When someone appears vulnerable,
others often take advantage of him; this is sad but true. Children with ADHD often become targets for others to bully.