Liza’s son Nikita will soon turn 16. Over the years he changed several schools and eventually moved to homeschooling. His mother says that from early childhood he struggled to sustain attention, follow instructions, and control impulsive reactions, and at school this led to constant conflict and isolation.
At the local clinic, the family heard very different explanations, from “he will grow out of it” to a suggestion of schizophrenia. Only at a private clinic was Nikita diagnosed with ADHD, prescribed medication, and referred for behavioral therapy. But in an ordinary school, Liza says, the diagnosis changed almost nothing: requests to give him more time on tests and take his condition into account were largely ignored.
According to her, classmates quickly learned to exploit Nikita’s vulnerability for mockery, while teachers did not stop the bullying. As a result, he was treated as the likely culprit in almost any conflict, and before one school trip, his mother says, the choice was framed as either Nikita or the whole class. He was excluded from the trip.
The family moved to Spain in 2022. There, Nikita was additionally diagnosed with ASD, and at first the school assigned him a tutor, which improved his adaptation. But after transferring to another school, many of the same problems returned, Liza says. Now the teenager is waiting for his 16th birthday, after which, under Spanish rules, he will no longer be required to attend school.
Olga Mikhasek, a psychiatrist at the Neuropsy clinic in Samara, says the exact causes of ADHD remain unclear, but the disorder is linked to the functioning of the prefrontal cortex and the regulation of noradrenaline and dopamine. In her words, a child’s traits may be less visible in kindergarten, while at school, where demands for self-control and concentration sharply increase, difficulties accumulate quickly.
The people interviewed say the diagnosis brings few practical accommodations at school, but it can at least help children and their families understand what is happening. Mikhasek notes that science still has no cure for ADHD, though medication and behavioral therapy can reduce symptoms, and a supportive environment without bullying improves the chances of adaptation.