Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. It is diagnosed when a child exhibits an inadequate or shortened attention span and/or impulsive behaviors that are inappropriate to the child’s age. When children also display hyperactive behavior, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is identified. The common occurrence of hyperactivity is such that ADD is often simply recognized as ADHD.
While controversy surrounds the actual incidence of these two disorders, it is estimated that ADD and ADHD affect between five and ten percent of kids. Boys are diagnosed ten times more often than girls. Symptoms of these conditions may be identified before the age of four, and a diagnosis is almost always made before seven years of age.
