The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Revised Text Fourth Edition (DSMR-IV) there are certain common characteristics of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All adults with ADHD showed signs of this disorder as children.
Short Attention Span
The child or adult with ADHD may have a short attention span. Children with ADHD find it hard to wait their turn in line or in games. To other people, it may seem that the person with ADHD is ignoring the person speaking. Other signs are easy frustration and difficulty in following directions. Frequently, several homework assignments or job tasks may be started without any of them being completed. It is hard for the person with ADHD to pay attention to details. This may result in hesitation or avoidance of tasks that require detailed focus.
Distractibility
People with ADHD are easily distracted. A child in class may hear a barking dog and look out the window and focus on finding the dog instead of listening to his teacher. People with ADHD may make mistakes that could easily be avoided or may not finish a task due to distractions. For example, when someone entering data into a spreadsheet answers a phone, she may forget to finish the spreadsheet or make mistakes if trying to do both at the same time.
Disorganization
A child or adult who has ADHD tends to be very disorganized. He may not be able to find important things such as homework directions or paperwork needed to complete a job application. His car might appear as if someone lives in it. He is oftentimes late, behind schedule and has difficulty planing.
Procrastination
Since it is hard to manage time, follow directions or break down tasks into steps, people with ADHD often end up being seen as procrastinators, tardy or lazy. It is not their intent to finish tasks behind schedule, but because of difficulty with organization and prioritization, it affects when homework, tasks or jobs are completed.
Impulsiveness
Many times, people with ADHD will do or say things before thinking about them. They may have a hard time waiting for someone else to finish speaking and blurt out information or answers before the other person can finish. They tend to talk or be chattier than other people. It may be hard for them to maintain relationships because they blurt out statements they later regret. People with ADHD, in contrast to those without ADHD, are more likely to do things that could prove physically harmful to them because they did not stop to think before acting.
