What Are Some of the Symptoms of ADD?
There are a number of symptoms that characterize ADD or ADHD. I have listed some of them below.
Please note that many people may have instances when they exhibit some of these symptoms. The DSM IV, which is the diagnostic tool that psychologists and psychiatrists use when evaluating ADD, requires that at least 6 symptoms be present for a period of 6 months or more in order to diagnose ADD. In addition, many professionals these days refer to Attention Deficit Disorder as AD/HD, with one of three subtypes: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, or combined. Generally, children under age 7 are not evaluated.
ADD Symptoms:
- An inability to pay attention to most things for more than a few minutes
- Hyper-focus - an ability to lose one’s self in something, to the exclusion of everything else
- An inability to filter out distracting sounds, smells, or sights
- An inability to sit still for any reasonable length of time (also a restless but deep sleeper)
- Forgetfulness
- Poor time management skills - no concept of time or how long things take
- Poor organizational skills
- Messy environment
- Tendency to start multiple projects, but rarely finish them
- Easily overwhelmed
- Highly creative
- Usually very intelligent, but poor grades
- May be a risk taker
- Impulsive - acts without thinking
- Ability to multi-task
- Often a visually oriented learner, but may also be a kinesthetic learner
- Low threshold for boredom
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
What is Attention Defict Disorder?
Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without Hyperactivity, affects about 6-10% of the population. Although it is perceived as a childhood condition which will be outgrown, that is not the case. Adults have ADD, too; they had it as a child and will have it all their lives. It may sometimes seem as though someone has outgrown their ADD, but in fact, they have just learned to manage their symptoms better.
Although ADD is called a “deficit” and a “disorder”, neither is true nor accurate. ADD is just different. You can put a negative spin on it, or a positive one. An inability to focus in on one thing can also be thought of as an ability to multi-task.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Welcome to ADD Student!
August 10, 2007 by Brenda
Filed under ADD Student
Welcome to ADD Student, where ADD + School = Success!
If you are a student or the parent of a student with Attention Deficit Disorder, and you’ve got questions about succeeding in school, you’ve come to the right place.
My name is Brenda Nicholson. I am an ADD Coach as well as the mother of 3 children with Attention Deficit Disorder. I have been studying and learning about ADD/ADHD for over 20 years now, both formally as a coach, and informally as a mom. I also worked in Learning Assistance at Schoolcraft College in Michigan for a number of years, and was actually responsible for designing and implementing an ADD Coaching program there called ACE.
I’ve designed ADD Student as a sort of FAQ site. I’ll be posting questions about ADD that I hear most often and of course, I’ll be answering them too. If you’ve got a question about ADD and school success, please let me know. You might also want to check out my other site ADD Moms for more information about Attention Deficit Disorder.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
