Is It the Child or the System? A Systemic Lens on ADHD!

From a systemic therapy perspective, ADHD doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it lives within systems: the family, the school, and society. A child’s behaviour is not just a symptom of individual neurology but also of how the surrounding systems respond and adapt.

The rise in ADHD diagnoses reflects a broader shift: our environments are overstimulating, expectations are rigid, and our support systems haven’t evolved fast enough to meet the diverse neurodevelopmental needs of today’s children.

Both parents and schools are struggling.

Parents are often overwhelmed, juggling guilt, advocacy, and the daily demands of raising neurodiverse children. Schools are under-resourced and undertrained, with teachers expected to be educators, carers, and behavioural specialists all at once. This dual stress—at home and in the classroom—creates a loop where the child is labelled “the problem,” rather than seen as a messenger of systemic imbalance.

here my humble insight as a Systemic therapist:

If we continue to view ADHD as just a child’s issue rather than a systemic challenge, we risk raising future adults who feel fundamentally flawed. Instead, we need to reimagine our education and parenting systems—ones that prioritise emotional regulation, connection, and diverse ways of learning and expressing—not just compliance and control.

What if a child’s difficult behaviour isn’t a problem to fix—but a question the whole system needs to answer? Let’s rethink ADHD!