ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

The ADD child exhibits a series of behaviors that are common in most
children. Most children misbehave, act silly and day dream. So what, then, is
the difference? The child with Attention Deficit Disorder exhibits these
behaviors in a constant and extreme manner, often interfering with their
academic, social and family interactions.



Here are the variety of ways that a child may exhibit ADD behaviors:



Inattention: The most visible and well-known behavior of a child with attention
deficit issues is an inability to maintain attention and focus over an extended
period of time. This behavior shows up in a variety of situations, such as
forgetting or confusing instructions that were just given, being inattentive
when involved in a conversation, growing bored of activities within moments,
appearing to be in a daze or day dream, and being unable to complete tasks.



Hyperattention: Paradoxically, the same ADD child who cannot stay focused enough
to finish many common tasks will have no problem whatsoever in focusing on a
video game or TV show for hours. This ability to hyper-focus on chosen
activities is very common in the child with Attention Deficit Disorder. This
behavior is possible only because the child pursues the desirable activity
through a heightened level of excitement which is a controlled form of
hyperactivity.



Distractibility: An ADD child can be easily distracted from most activities by
any form of stimulus in the environment (movement, color, sound), as well as by
their own scattered, fast-moving thoughts. This results in half-finished or
poorly completed tasks, constant minor non-compliances with known rules,
zig-zagging from one activity to another, and the inability for the child to do
well in group situations (such as school) where compliance with the rules is
important.



Impulsivity: An ADD child will often blurt out information in inappropriate ways
and make poor decisions relative to their actions. This child may risk his or
her own safety without a second thought, running into the street, climbing to
the top of a tree or rock formation, or jumping or diving into a pool without
checking the depth. The child with ADD acts on impulse rather than through logic
or problem-solving. Impulsivity in many ADD children can also be characterized
by impatience or temperamental (often oppositional) behavior since the ADD child
often feels a driving need for something (anything!) to happen immediately.



Hyperactivity: Of all the characteristics of an ADD child, the behavior that is
most difficult for those around the child to accept is the presence of
hyperactivity. The child with hyperactivity is always in motion -- touching,
searching, pushing, jumping, running, tapping, and squabbling with friends and
siblings. The hyperactive ADD child seems to need a high level of stimulation at
all times in order to feel OK. Hyperactivity will also be seen in the form of a
child who talks incessantly, clowns around all of the time, and finds every
other form of trouble that a parent can name.



Insatiability: The ADD child has an insatiable need for attention to be brought
onto himself. While all children thrive on adult attention, focus and concern,
the child with ADD can never seem to get enough. They act out, talk incessantly,
joke around, monopolize conversations, demand the teacher's constant
involvement, show off to friends, and badger incessantly until they get their
way.



Clumsiness and Poor Coordination: Many ADD children exhibit problems with fine
motor control. This can be seen in poor handwriting and in difficulty performing
other routine tasks such as buttoning buttons or tying shoelaces. When combined
with the child's inability to plan or organize a flow of activities, the
resulting outcome (written paper, self-dressing, etc.) may appear chaotic and
disorganized. Many ADD children also exhibit gross motor control clumsiness due
to poor motor planning cognitive skills or other co-existing weaknesses in areas
such as balance, depth-perception or eye-hand coordination.



Disorganization: The ADD child is a study in disorganization! Whether it is the
state of the child's room, the organization of a term paper, the set up of the
child's school supplies and workspace, grooming, dressing and hygiene skills, or
any other aspect of the child's life, the most probable outcome will be a
disorganized mess. This results from the ADD child's impulsivity (jumping at any
solution), distractibility (stopping in the middle of any activity),
hyperactivity (pulling out and tearing apart everything in sight), and
inattention (they lose interest anyway!).



Mood Swings: With an ADD child, everything is always at extremes, and their
range of emotions is no different. In some cases, they can be extremely
domineering and controlling as they seek to gain attention for themselves. In
other cases, they can be unreachable, and no amount of discipline or parental
intervention seems to have an effect. When an child with ADD is "stuck" in the
emotions of the moment, there seems to be no way for reasonable discussions to
bypass the emotional whirlwind in progress. ADD children can be described as
oppositional, stubborn, overly-dramatic, flighty, ecstatically happy or
excessively sensitive, just to name a few of the extremes experienced by ADD
children.



Poor Social Skills: Based on all of the issues discussed so far, it's not
surpising that ADD children don't fare well with peer relationships. They speak
and act impulsively, show off and dominate conversations or class time, clown
around at inappropriate times, miss subtle social cues, may be physically clumsy
and awkward, and often irritate and annoy their peers in a thousand daily ways.




As a result of the symptoms and behaviors just described, the ADD child
encounters all too many difficulties in their young lives. True ADD should not
be considered a "phase" that will be outgrown. Rather, parents and educators
should seek all of the education and knowledge they can find to help these kids
flourish and succeed throughout the elementary school years.







About the Author

Jeanne Bauer is the author of the ADD to C3 Kids E-Booklets, providing a fast,
natural and healthy approach to ADD/ADHD. Find more information at

http://www.add-adhd-infoplus.com  and
http://www.addtoc3kids.com
.