What Is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurological condition related, in part, to the brain's chemistry and anatomy. ADHD manifests itself as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that occurs more frequently and more severely than is typically observed in people at comparable levels of development. ADHD begins in childhood and can persist into adulthood as well. While some children outgrow ADHD, about 60% continue to have symptoms into adulthood.
According to the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), the symptoms of ADHD fall into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and combined.
Inattentive Type
- This may be diagnosed if the child has been impaired by six or more symptoms of inattention.
- Some of these symptoms include not paying attention, making careless mistakes, not listening, not finishing tasks, not following directions and being easily distracted.
Hyperactive-impulsive Type
- This may be diagnosed if the child has been impaired by six or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity.
- Symptoms include fidgeting, talking excessively, running around at inappropriate times, interrupting others and having difficulty awaiting turns.
Combined Type
- This may be diagnosed if the child has been impaired by six or more symptoms of inattention and six or more sypmtoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity.
All children act in ways that could be viewed as inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive, the core symptoms of ADHD. In fact, all of us daydream, interrupt, blurt out information, get impatient, or feel restless at times, but not all of us have ADHD.
Professionals diagnose ADHD only when a child:
- Has displayed symptomatic behaviors that are inconsistent with their development level.
- Exhibits symptomatic behaviors consistently over a period of the last six months.
- Has had some symptoms since before the age of seven.
- Is impaired by these symptoms in life activities in more than one setting, in school, at work and at home, for example.
- Has symptoms that are not better accounted for by another illness.
Causes of ADHD
Although the exact cause of ADHD remains unknown, research has increased in the last decade.Read more>>
The History of ADHD
Knowledge about ADHD has been accumulating for over 100 years. This section will provide you with a brief overview of the changes that have occurred over the years.Read more>>
