Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Information from the "ADD ADHD Information Library"

What is Attention Deficit Disorder?

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What is Attention Deficit Disorder?

Attention Deficit Disorder, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a diagnostic label that we give to children, or adults, who have significant problems in four main areas of their lives: Attention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, and Boredom .

Attention Deficit Disorder is a neurologically based disorder. It is not the result of "bad parenting" or obnoxious, willful defiance on the part of the child (although a diagnosis of ADD does not rule out that there is either bad parenting or defiant behaviors by the child taking place in the home). On the following pages you will find brief descriptions of the disorder to try to make this more browser friendly. Please see the pages on Inattention , Implusivity , Hyperactivity , and Boredom . Also please visit our description on the neurological features of the disorder.

How Common is Attention Deficit Disorder?

You should also know that Attention Deficit Disorder is a very common condition. Studies indicate that approximately 5% of children and 3% of adults suffer from ADD. That's one out of 20 children, or nearly two in every classroom, in every school, in every city across America. We can conservatively estimate that there are 7 million children and 4 million adults in the United States alone who have to deal with this problem day in and day out. And of course the problem doesn't just impact that individual. It also impacts their parents, siblings, spouses, and children. It impacts their performance at school, at home, and at work.

A word of caution. We have seen estimates as high as 15% to 25% of the population having ADD/ADHD. It is our experience that estimates that high are either produced from poor assessment tools or survey instruments that add in merely defiant or disobedient behaviors, or that they are numbers used by a company who wants to sell you something. A good, solid, conservative, and supportable, number is 5%, plus or minus a point or two.

Read the complete detailed article on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder here...

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