Children who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often experience a lack of functioning and confidence compared to their brothers, sisters, and classroom peers. Many children affected by the disorder may experience mild delays in social development, language fluency, and general behavior compared to other children who do not suffer from the disorder.

Children with this disorder are at risk of experiencing serious academic problems, social situations, general learning problems, and family problems. Symptoms of this disorder can be much worse with various co-existing conditions, such as personality disorder or oppositional defiant disorder.