As South Africans we celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and histories that unite us as one nation. On this HeritageDay, we honour our shared identity and the diverse roots that shape our collective story.
We wish all our members a meaningful Heritage Day filled with pride and togetherness.
Memories enable us to relive the past and preserve special moments that play a defining role in who we are. Every year we commemorate those who live with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The world honors World Alzheimer’s Day.
World Alzheimer’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate loved ones who live with Alzheimer’s disease but it is also an opportunity to:
You can make a difference:
We’re proud to introduce the incredible team of volunteers who will be supporting the 29th Annual South African Psychology Congress. Their dedication, energy, and commitment play a vital role in creating a seamless and welcoming experience for all delegates.
Be sure to look out for them at Congress — they’re here to help and ensure you have the best experience possible!
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with a course that often extends beyond childhood. Prevalence estimates suggest that 2–16% of children meet criteria for ADHD (Boshomane, Pillay, & Meyer, 2020; Botha & Schoeman, 2023). In adulthood, rates decline to 2.5–4.2% (Schoeman & Leibenberg, 2017), yet research shows that 60–70% of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to experience symptoms into adulthood (Belanger et al., 2018). This continuity highlights the importance of recognising ADHD as a lifespan condition. For practitioners, an accurate and nuanced understanding of how ADHD evolves is critical for supporting children, adolescents, and adults alike.
Prevalence estimates vary widely due to differences in methodology, assessment tools, and practitioner expertise. Overdiagnosis in children, underdiagnosis in adults, and limited training in ADHD assessment contribute to these discrepancies (Schellack & Meyer, 2016). Given the impact of an ADHD diagnosis on an individual and their family, assessment should not be made hastily. A holistic approach, integrating developmental history, collateral information, and careful differential diagnosis, is essential before assigning the ADHD label.
ADHD is not static; its presentation changes with age. Symptoms that are visible and behavioural in children may become more internalised and functional in adults. The DSM-5-TR accommodates these shifts by adjusting diagnostic thresholds and providing developmentally relevant examples.
|
Aspect |
Children |
Adults |
|
Hyperactivity |
Visible and physical: fidgeting, running, climbing, difficulty staying seated. |
Internal restlessness, difficulty relaxing, avoidance of passive situations. |
|
Impulsivity |
Blurting out answers, interrupting peers/teachers, and having difficulty waiting for turns. |
Impatience, oversharing, risk-taking behaviours (e.g., reckless driving, unsafe sex), and emotional dyscontrol. |
|
Inattention |
Careless mistakes, distractibility, difficulty following instructions, and losing belongings. |
Persistent but less visible: forgetfulness with bills/appointments, incomplete tasks, reliance on compensatory strategies (e.g., overworking, pulling all-nighters). |
|
DSM-5-TR Symptom Count |
Requires ≥ 6 symptoms in either domain (inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive). |
Requires ≥ 5 symptoms, acknowledging attenuated adult presentation. |
|
Age of Onset |
Symptoms present before age 12 (revised from age 7 in DSM-IV-TR). |
Same requirement, but often established through retrospective report or school records. |
|
DSM-5-TR Examples |
Not finishing homework, struggling to sit through lessons, losing toys or stationery. |
Distracted by unrelated thoughts, avoiding long reports, and forgetting calls or appointments. |
Children often benefit from external structure, parental oversight, and consistent school routines. Transitioning into adulthood, however, brings greater demands—academic, occupational, financial, and relational—alongside a decrease in support. For individuals with ADHD, this can create a “perfect storm” where difficulties become more pronounced.
Despite these challenges, adulthood offers new possibilities for adaptive functioning. Adults can select environments that align with their strengths—roles that value creativity, movement, or rapid problem-solving. They may also develop personalised strategies, such as flexible scheduling, seeking supportive relationships, or outsourcing tasks that are consistently challenging (e.g., administrative tasks).
Across the lifespan, ADHD is associated with a higher risk of impairment compared to the general population. In adulthood, consequences often become more significant and wide-ranging:
A robust ADHD assessment should include:
Treatment planning should be holistic and individualised, often combining:
While ADHD presents challenges, it is equally important to acknowledge its strengths. Creativity, innovation, high energy, and unique problem-solving skills are common among individuals with ADHD. By moving beyond a deficit-focused perspective, practitioners can help clients harness these strengths while managing difficulties, thereby fostering resilience and self-efficacy.
ADHD does not simply “end” with childhood. It is a lifelong condition that evolves across developmental stages. For registered counsellors, psychometrists, and other health practitioners, recognising these changes is vital for effective screening, supportive intervention, and timely referral for diagnosis and treatment by psychologists or psychiatrists. By combining early identification, holistic support, and a strengths-based approach, practitioners can play a critical role in empowering individuals with ADHD to move beyond survival and toward thriving.
On a warm afternoon in Lehurutshe, Zeerust, a young boy named Thabo sat under a marula tree, rhythmically tapping a stick against the soil. At the same time, his teacher grew increasingly frustrated at his “restlessness.” Thabo’s inability to “sit still” or follow long instructions was quickly labelled as defiance, poor discipline, or even laziness by many around him. Yet, what Thabo was living with was not a character flaw; it was Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Thabo’s story is not unique. Across our towns, villages, and cities, countless children and adults live with ADHD, often misunderstood and mischaracterised in ways that deepen stigma and silence. This is why National ADHD Awareness Day on 14 September 2025, commemorated under the theme Sea of Yellow for ADHD Awareness, is not only a call to wear colour, but also a call to open our eyes, to see ADHD through lenses that make sense in our South African realities.
When we speak about decolonising ADHD, we should not dismiss or reject the valuable knowledge that global research has provided. Instead, it ensures that our understanding of ADHD resonates with people’s lived experiences, languages, and cultural frameworks.
In many communities, behavioural signs of ADHD are easily interpreted through moral, spiritual, or disciplinary lenses. A child is “naughty,” “bewitched,” or “undisciplined,” rather than neurodivergent. These cultural meanings matter because they shape how families seek help or whether they seek help at all. Decolonising ADHD means situating the condition in our own socio-cultural realities, making space for multiple ways of knowing, while also ensuring evidence-based psychological care is accessible.
ADHD does not occur in isolation. In South Africa, its impact is magnified by intersecting realities of poverty, overcrowded classrooms, and limited access to healthcare. For children like Thabo, ADHD is often compounded by hunger, trauma, or unsafe environments.
Our teachers are often the first to notice signs, but individualised support becomes near impossible with class sizes of 45 to 70 learners. Many families rely on traditional explanations of behaviour, while medical and psychological resources remain concentrated in urban centres. Raising awareness is not enough; we need to translate awareness into contextually appropriate, culturally sensitive, and socially just support systems.
As psychologists, our role is twofold:
In this light, we invite our colleagues to reflect on psychology’s role in supporting individuals and families affected by ADHD, to advocate for early intervention, and to advance public awareness and care strategies. We collectively highlight PsySSA’s commitment to human rights, dignity, and social justice.
On this National ADHD Awareness Day, let us wear yellow not only as a symbol of solidarity but also as a pledge: to listen more carefully, contextualise more deeply, and act boldly. Thabo and the many children and adults like him deserve to grow up in a society that understands them on their own terms, in their own contexts, with dignity and hope.
Together, as psychologists, educators, parents, and community members, we can ensure that ADHD is not a hidden struggle but a recognised difference that calls for compassion, understanding, and care.
Dr Momi Kemoneilwe Metsing
Chairperson: Society for Educational Psychology of South Africa (SEPSA)