info for parents

Do I Have Attention Deficit Disorder?

So, you've read about ADD, saw something on TV or in a magazine, or heard about it from a friend. What the heck is it, and what can be done about it? This information may help to clarify for you what ADD may be, and what you can do about it.

Let me emphasis MAYBE, because no matter what a health care professional may tell you the facts are:

"Nobody really knows exactly what ADD is, what causes it, what makes it better, or why!"

After making this statement I am certain I need explain what I mean. I'm not saying doctors are bad people, or that medicine is all goofed up. Neurology is not an exact science. Human behavior is not an exact science. The brain is so complicated that we are years, maybe generations away from understanding how it really works. So where does that leave us, we have theories. We have ideas and concepts of the general way the thinking process works, how information is selected, transmitted, processed and how it is stored in the brain. Based on these theories neuroscientist have come to some commonly accepted conclusions about how the brain works. Using these we can develop a working model of the ADD brain.

Common ADD behaviors

Most health care professionals working with ADD adults or children will tell you about the triad of ADD behaviors, it is composed of three elements:

1. Difficulty with concentration
2. Difficulty controlling impulses
3. Difficulty staying still or with one project

(hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity)

Labeling these three elements may help the medical community, but for the rest of us we need a little more concrete information. In our "ASK about ADD Adult Self-Help Group", we developed this list of what we consider to be the" Top Ten" ADD behaviors.

Top 10 Behaviors

Distractibility:

Moving from one task, project or person frequently. Having difficulty sticking with the assigned task. Perhaps appearing to listen but not getting the information as the ADD adult was listening to the sounds of birds or cars or children instead of the person speaking to them.

 

Lack of impulse control:

Sudden movements, inappropriate vocal responses, yelling and name calling. Perhaps a quick loss of temper, quick movements that may result in spilling or breaking things. Often making quick decision rather than well thought out ones and acting before we think.

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Free flight of ideas:

Constantly going from one idea to the next, often with very good ideas but little if any follow through. We may become quickly bored with our current activity and want to move on before it is completed.

 

Difficulty with organizing or sequencing tasks:

May tend to loose things, clothing and equipment easily. Paperwork is often filled out but left at home. Important items can be lost or misplaced as easily as available items.

 

Social immaturity:

ADD adults may often be behind others in maturity, and act out impulsively or inappropriately. We often have a low frustration level and loose our temper very easily.

We tend to not do well at reading the social indicators of others, such as if they are uncomfortable or want to leave, and so continue with the inappropriate activity.

 

Forgetfulness:

Easily forgetting where he or she is to be and what to bring along. We may have been told ten minutes ago to do a certain task and didn't do it because of being preoccupied with something or someone else.

 

Difficulty with deferred gratification:

The ADD adult often wants the reward before the task, once rewarded is ready to move on to the next reward without completing the task.

 

Difficulty sequencing and following directions:

Weak past and future concepts, everything is in the NOW! With a process involving 3 or 4 steps the ADD adult may easily miss or forget all but the first and last step.

 

Restlessness or Hyperactivity:

Not always, but often present as in having difficulty standing still or sitting still. Always tapping feet or hands, fidgeting with something in their hands, often disruptive in groups or class situations.

 

Difficulty with concentration:

We are often easily distracted, and may kind of "drift" from project to project or thing to thing. Our concentration is distracted by almost any other kind of activity

 

Difficulty with dates, times or directions

Due to the processing problems associated with ADD, information is often not stored properly for long term memory functions. We may misunderstand the directions, thinking East is West, or Up is Down, and then may not even remember the information except for a short time.

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