What Are the Signs of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?

blog6Did you know that attention deficit disorder (ADD) is the most frequently observed learning disability.

When you (or someone you love) can perform one task easily, but cannot perform a series of sequential tasks, it may be indicative of ADD. You may not be able to complete the series of task, not because you can’t perform them, but because you lose concentration or are easily distracted. Therefore, you’re unable to keep your attention on completing the complete series of tasks at hand.

For example, if you have a child with ADD, you might tell her to go to her room, pick up her toys, put her dirty laundry in the hamper, and come back with her homework assignments. However, by the time she gets to the door of her room, she is distracted by something in her room and forgets everything else.

She is not being deliberately disobedient. She is simply unable to remember a series of instructions—instructions that are processed by the logical side of her brain.

8 behavioral symptoms that may indicate you have attention deficit disorder

1. You are impulsive, acting without thinking. If you see something you want on the other side of the road, you run across without looking for traffic.

2. You have little understanding of the connection between cause and effect. If you want to do X, you do it, never thinking “What will happen if I do?” You may push a sibling at the top of the stairs, not realizing that the sibling could fall down and be injured.

3. You have difficulty budgeting time. You often leave projects incomplete because you don’t have a sense of time—let alone the ability to budget it. Combined with your lack of concentration, this deficit is often exhibited as poor organizational skills.

4. You have difficulty concentrating. Concentration is merely paying attention over time. If there is no “sense of time,” you are unable to pay attention to it.

5. You have difficulty spelling. Generally, you spell phonetically by putting letters together until they “sound” like the word.

6. You have difficulty with arithmetic. You have trouble remembering multiplication tables and understanding mathematical concepts.

7. You have difficulty in comprehending what you’ve read. Although your reading may appear to be fluent, you do not immediately process the meaning of what you have read. You may have to read and reread a passage until you get it. You may be able to intepret symbols, but have difficulty assigning meaning to the words/symbols interpreted.

8. You have good physical coordination. You may even be gifted athletically. If this is one of the few areas in which success is experienced, you tend to devote a great deal of your time and practice to it. Think of the sports jock who hates schoolwork.

Do any of the above symptoms sound like you or someone you love? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below because chances are, you’re not alone. Thank you!