How Is Anxiety Documented Alongside ADHD in School?

PostedSeptember 2, 2025

UpdatedSeptember 5, 2025

ByMy Patient Advice

Author: Avery Lombardi, MSc | Reviewed by: Dr. Rebecca Fernandez, MBBS

When a student has both ADHD and anxiety, schools document these as co-occurring anxiety and ADHD, ensuring that each condition is clearly described in reports. This dual documentation is important because the two can interact, sometimes making symptoms more severe or harder to distinguish.

Stress-Related Behaviours

Teachers often note stress-related behaviours when documenting anxiety. These can include physical signs like fidgeting, headaches, or stomach aches, as well as emotional indicators such as irritability or withdrawal from social situations. In students with ADHD, anxiety can also appear as overthinking tasks, avoiding work due to fear of making mistakes, or becoming overwhelmed by multi-step instructions.

School Anxiety and ADHD

School anxiety and ADHD can significantly affect academic performance. Reports may detail how anxiety impacts a student’s ability to concentrate, even when ADHD interventions are in place. For example, a student might receive extended time for assignments to address ADHD-related focus issues, but anxiety could still cause delays due to worry or perfectionism. Documenting these interactions helps ensure both conditions are addressed in support planning.

Importance of Dual Documentation

By recording co-occurring anxiety alongside ADHD, teachers provide a fuller picture for psychologists, special education teams, and parents. This ensures that strategies such as stress-reduction techniques or counselling are included alongside ADHD-specific interventions.

In conclusion, co-occurring anxiety with ADHD in school settings is important to document. Clear reporting supports more targeted and effective interventions.

Visit providers like ADHD Certify for personal consultations and expert guidance tailored to your unique situation.

For a deeper dive into the science, diagnosis, and full treatment landscape, read our complete guide to School and teacher reports for ADHD.

Avery Lombardi, MSc

Author

Avery Lombardi is a clinical psychologist with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. She has professional experience in psychological assessment, evidence-based therapy, and research, working with both child and adult populations. Avery has provided clinical services in hospital, educational, and community settings, delivering interventions such as CBT, DBT, and tailored treatment plans for conditions including anxiety, depression, and developmental disorders. She has also contributed to research on self-stigma, self-esteem, and medication adherence in psychotic patients, and has created educational content on ADHD, treatment options, and daily coping strategies.

All qualifications and professional experience stated above are authentic and verified by our editorial team. However, pseudonym and image likeness are used to protect the author's privacy.

Dr. Rebecca Fernandez, MBBS

Reviewer

Dr. Rebecca Fernandez is a UK-trained physician with an MBBS and experience in general surgery, cardiology, internal medicine, gynecology, intensive care, and emergency medicine. She has managed critically ill patients, stabilised acute trauma cases, and provided comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. In psychiatry, Dr. Fernandez has worked with psychotic, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, applying evidence-based approaches such as CBT, ACT, and mindfulness-based therapies. Her skills span patient assessment, treatment planning, and the integration of digital health solutions to support mental well-being.

All qualifications and professional experience stated above are authentic and verified by our editorial team. However, pseudonym and image likeness are used to protect the reviewer's privacy.