Often, when I say no, my child overreacts and is defiant or hostile. Is that common for a child with ADHD?

Not every ADHD child is defiant, hostile, or oppositional. However, some are. A certain amount of defiant and oppositional behavior is normal in children of all ages. Yet, it may be a more common or more prominent issue with ADHD children. These children may interrupt and intrude as well as avoid tasks or directions. They may also deliberately annoy other people and blame others for something they themselves do. In fact, accepting responsibility for their behavior may be quite hard for them. However, you must distinguish their inattention and impulsivity from the disruptive behaviors in truly hostile children. Specific characteristics seen in a child with an oppositional defiant disorder include poor temper control, argumentativeness, spitefulness and vindictiveness (“getting even”), resentfulness and anger, and the tendency to rebel against or refuse adult requests. ADHD children can sometimes be defiant and hostile. But, when your ADHD child routinely becomes disruptive and argumentative, it’s time for a professional consultation to determine whether your child has a comorbid disorder. In other words, such children can have two separate problems that occur at the same time.