Attention Deficit Disorder Symptoms in Children and Adults

January 10th, 2010 | by admin |
Kathleen Chester asked:


ADD is short for Attention Deficit Disorder which is a behavioral developmental disorder. This disorder affects both children and adults, but is more commonly diagnosed in children. It is important to treat the condition, while still at a nascent stage in childhood, since it can cause problems if it is undiagnosed and left untreated in the long run. While adults are able to cope better with the disorder, coping with ADD in children can be very difficult for both parents and the child.

Symptoms in children

A child affected with ADD will have difficulty in concentrating or focusing on something. He will also find it difficult to organize things or follow instructions and directions. They have difficulty in controlling their natural spontaneous responses such as speech, movements, and attentiveness. They are unable to finish tasks, make plans, participate in activities around them or even sit still. They have a tendency to get distracted by the smallest of things and consistently make small careless mistakes in their activities that require patience and following instructions.

These children have lots of things simultaneously going on in their mind and are unable to concentrate on anything specific. Multiple activities like the teacher talking, two students whispering, and people walking on the corridor outside the classroom, all affect the ADD affected child’s concentration. While most children are able to block the other noises and concentrate on the teacher’s voice, the ADD affected child is unable to do so. They also have a tendency of losing their belongings and even very intelligent and bright children with this disorder may be getting low grades.

Symptoms in adults

ADD is also quite common among adults though in most cases it goes undiagnosed as the symptoms overlap with other adult disorders such as stress. Adults suffering from ADD are mostly restless and are unable to concentrate on their work. They also have difficulty staying organized and may even have difficulties in maintaining their relationships due to their compulsive behavior. However adults are much more equipped to deal with their problem and are mostly recommended to control their symptoms with proper diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.

The other symptoms which are reflected both in children and adults affected with ADD are short attention spans, poor listening skills, tendency to be bored and being impulsive in speech and action. These symptoms are however noticed in various degrees in the patient and only a trained medical professional can diagnose how serious the problem is and treat it accordingly.



Vinyl Siding For Your Home
Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google

  • Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Syndrome In Adults
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Is It A Childhood Disorder?
  • Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Treatments for Adhd
  • Light on Adult Adhd
  • Busting The Adult ADHD Myths
  • Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.