The
Basics of Childhood ADD/ADHD
Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) affect a child's ability to concentrate,
learn, and maintain a normal level of activity. According
to the American Psychiatric Association, childhood
ADD is shown in children who display an inappropriate
attention span, are too impulsive, and sometimes are
deemed hyperactive given their age. Childhood
ADD/ADHD can be diagnosed either with or without
hyperactivity. Childhood Attention Deficit Disorder
affects from three (3) to ten (10) percent of all
children in America. Some studies estimate that about
20 percent of the population will eventually be diagnosed
with ADD. Childhood Attention Deficit Disorder is
about 10 times more common in boys.
Childhood
Attention Deficit Disorder often develops before the
age of seven but is most often diagnosed when the
child is between ages eight and 10. The younger the
child is when diagnosed, the more serious forms of
Attention Deficit Disorder he or she is likely to
exhibit. In reverse, when older children or ADHD
teenagers are diagnosed, they generally exhibit
a less serious form of the disorder. ADD shows up
most readily in situations where the child is required
to work independently or in a group setting. One-on-one
situations or situations that are new to the child
tend not to display ADD behaviors as much.
Childhood
Attention Deficit Disorder is often called by various
names, including hyperactivity, minimal brain dysfunction,
minimal brain damage, and hyperkinetic syndrome.
Symptoms of childhood ADD include:
- Inattention
- does not finish things once started, appears not
to listen, is easily distracted. Having ADHD
in school can cause an inability to focus on
schoolwork or anything else requiring a longer attention
span. Many times a child with ADHD does not stay
with a play activity for long.
- Impulsivity
- acts without thinking about consequences, moves
excessively from one task to another, does not organize
work though this is not because of any cognitive
impairment, must have supervision, talks out in
class, does not wait his or her turn in group situations.
- Hyperactivity
- ADD may be diagnosed with or without hyperactivity,
but a hyperactive child will do at least two of
these: run or climb excessively, cannot sit still
and fidgets, cannot stay seated, moves around more
than usual even when asleep.
- Attention
Deficit Disorder symptoms are usually seen before
age seven.
- The
symptoms last at least six months.
- The
symptoms are not caused by schizophrenia, affective
disorder, or any type of profound mental retardation.
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