Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that has three distinct subtypes: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive and a combination of these two. People with the inattentive type ADHD, named ADD, get to be diagnosed years later than those with hyperactive type of ADHD, says the Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D., at ContinuingEdCourses.net. This might be due to the fact that the behavior of a hyperactive ADHD patient is often considered more disturbing to the environment, whereas children with ADD often go unnoticed in a classroom. ADD is significantly more common among females than males.
Inattentiveness
People with ADD are not able to sustain attention and resist distractions while doing a task. They often fail to listen to the instructions prior to starting a task, often beginning to do a task while a teacher is explaining how to do it. ADD patients find it difficult to keep their minds on any one thing, and they tend to jump from one task to another, never finishing any of them. They do not follow the rules of the games and fail to pay attention to details. Interestingly, when ADD patients are engaged in a task that they truly enjoy, they usually have no trouble paying attention.
Forgetfulness
ADD patients are often forgetful in their daily activities at school and home. They often lose things that they need to finish an activity. Leaving books and assignments home is frequent for these patients. They also forget to write down their assignments and keep telling their parents that they do not have any homework. Forgetfulness is common in social settings as well. ADD patients do not remember agreeing to meet someone somewhere, and keeping records of the birthdays of the family members is difficult for them.
Mistakes
ADD patients dislike any activity that takes a lot of mental effort. That is why they postpone starting working on their homework as long as they can. When they have no choice but to finish a task, they do so in a hurry, and their assignments are often full of errors and erasures. ADD patient's handwriting is difficult to read, and they often leave out their name from their assignments.
Developmental Problems
Such problems as depression, bipolar disorder and substance abuse are common among ADHD patients, but according to Dr. Barkley, they are more common among hyperactive or combination-type ADHD than among ADD patients. Inattentive ADHD can be accompanied by learning disabilities, delayed speech development and decreased working memory capacity, however.
Diagnosing ADD
DSM-IV states that in order to diagnose ADD, the symptoms must have started before the person was seven years old and lasted for at least six months. The symptoms of a patient must significantly affect his performance in at least two setting such as home, school or work. The patient also must possess six out of nine specific behaviors, including such symptoms as making careless mistakes, failing to give close attention to details and being easily distracted.
References
- Continuing Education Courses: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Nature, Course, Outcomes, and Comorbidity
- Partners Resource Network: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Help for ADD: ADHD/ADD and Depression
- MSU.edu: DSM-IV (Text Revision) Definition Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
