What is ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (American Psychological Association [APA], 2000). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) describes ADHD as consisting of three subtypes: (a) Combined, (b) predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive, and (c) predominantly Inattentive (formerly known as ADD). ADHD-Combined is by far the most prevalent of the three subtypes, ADHD-Inattentive is the second most common, and ADHD-Hyperactive/Impulsive is rather uncommon (APA, 2000).

Symptoms are grouped under three logical headings: (a) hyperactive, (b) impulsive, (c) inattentive. Hyperactive symptoms include fidgeting, squirming, and the inability to remain seated. Impulsive symptoms include interrupting others, intruding on others conversations or games, answering before a question is finished. Inattentive symptoms include carelessness, frequently changes activities, easily distracted, often loses things. (APA, 2000) For further information regarding diagnostic criteria see www.chadd.org.

Children with ADHD are often described as hyperactive, full of energy, impulsive, distracted, unmotivated, lazy, disobedient, or forgetful. It is important to understand that children with ADHD have pervasive issues, across a variety of situations (APA, 2000). What may appear to adults or peers to be a lack of care or consideration, is usually an inability to pay attention, regulate ones behavior, and persist in goal-oriented and sustained mental activity and behaviors (Jastrowski, Berlin, Sato, Davies, 2007). While children with ADHD appear to be inattentive, as the criteria describe, children with ADHD actually pay very good attention. In fact, they pay attention to everything and are unable to filter out unimportant information and stimuli (Barkley, 1997, Hathaway & Barkley, 2003). Imagine that you are trying to listen to the radio, watch tv, listen to three people talking to you, and write a letter for your boss. This might be a description of what your child with ADHD experiences on a daily basis.

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