Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed as one of three types. These types are inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive or a combination of the two. For those people who display solely the inattentive form of ADHD, their characteristics and behaviors can vary greatly from those with one of the other two variations. Inattentive ADHD alters a person's ability to concentrate in ways that are normal for her age group.
Basics
The inattentive form of ADHD can be overlooked and remain undiagnosed in children, adolescents and even adults because it generally does not cause as many disturbances in the lives of parents and teachers as the hyperactive-impulsive forms of ADHD do. When a person with inattentive ADHD has higher levels of intelligence, he may be able to overcompensate for his inattention with his intelligence and his ability to learn quickly despite his lack of preparation or attention to tasks; this can cause the disorder to remain undiagnosed into adulthood.
Facts
Girls tend to have the inattentive type of ADHD more often than boys, who are generally diagnosed with the hyperactive-impulsive type or the combined type. About Our Kids website suggests that due to the lack of behavior problems expressed by girls with inattentive ADHD, 50 to 75 percent of them remain undiagnosed for five years after the average age of boys to be diagnosed, which means they miss out on five critical years of early interventions.
Specifics
Inattentive ADHD, despite its generally late diagnosis, must meet certain specific requirements to be diagnosed. The signs of inattention must be expressed prior to the child reaching 7 years old, inattention must be present in at least two locations for no less than six consecutive months prior to the diagnosis and the inattention must significantly impact the life of the person in negative ways.
Signs
When people with inattentive ADHD find a topic interesting, they will be able to remain attentive and focused for long periods of time despite their significant lack of attention in other areas, notes HelpGuide.org. Some particular topics that might be interesting enough include creative activities, such as art, and television or video games.
Signs of inattentive ADHD include becoming easily distracted, inability to focus for any significant length of time, forgetfulness, inability to listen, limited attention to details, continuous loss of important things, leaving tasks unfinished, avoiding things that require a sustained mental effort and jumping from one task to another, notes MayoClinic.com.
Consequences
A person with ADHD may display consequences of the symptoms characteristic of this type of ADHD. Possible consequences for students include lack of ability to complete homework on time, inability to prepare for tests, severe disorganization, inability to follow directions, messy and/or sloppy work, loss of homework and making preventable mistakes.
Consequences can also been seen in the workplace, with poor time-management skills, inability to meet deadlines, inability to organize tasks and inability to plan ahead. Characteristics of inattentive ADHD can also affect a person financially: he may overspend, forget bills, lose bills or not think about how much money he has to spend in relation to how much he actually makes.
