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What is ADD or ADHD?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is a neurological disorder (disorder of the brain) that affects children and adults. The disorder is characterized by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Conservative estimates report that AD/HD affects between 3-7 percent of school age children, and between 2-5 percent of adults.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (www.nimh.nih.gov), “ADHD refers to a family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual's capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behavior (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways. The core symptoms of ADHD include an inability to sustain attention and concentration, developmentally inappropriate levels of activity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD have functional impairment across multiple settings including home, school, and peer relationships. ADHD has also been shown to have long-term adverse effects on academic performance, vocational success, and social-emotional development. Children with ADHD experience an inability to sit still and pay attention in class and the negative consequences of such behavior. They experience peer rejection and engage in a broad array of disruptive behaviors. Their academic and social difficulties have far-reaching and long-term consequences. These children have higher injury rates. As they grow older, children with untreated ADHD, in combination with conduct disorders, experience drug abuse, antisocial behavior, and injuries of all sorts. For many individuals, the impact of ADHD continues into adulthood.”
Correct Terminology
Currently, the correct term is AD/HD because it encompasses all three subtypes of the disorder including inattentive, hyperactive, and combined. Many parents and professionals still utilize the term, ADD, but it does not indicate hyperactivity, inattentiveness, or the combination of the two. Therefore, it has been replaced by the more definitive AD/HD.