ADD Signs & Symptoms

According to www.thehealthcenter.info, as many as one in 20 children may be affected by ADD, and their parents don't even know it. Too often, parents and teachers don't know what ADD looks like and therefore label the child as "bad" or complain that he never pays attention in class. Adults can have ADD as well, and many children with the condition keep it as they mature. There are signs to look for in children and adults that can help you identify ADD.

Inattention

• Adults and children alike share this trait, although as an adult, the inattentiveness could cost the "ADDer" her job, relationships or both. In children, their grades usually falter, and their teachers (if they don't recognize it) often think the child is stupid or lazy.

Disorganized Behavior

• Children with ADD often have messy rooms, which they loathe to clean up, or forget where something is because they don't put it in the same place twice. This symptom extends into adult life, as bills get missed, and entire houses or apartments become disheveled and littered with piles of things.

Hyperactivity

• ADD doesn't always include hyperactivity, but it often includes enough symptoms of it to be worth noting. Children can't focus and often act out, while adults report feelings of having to "go" or get bored easily.

Forgetfulness

• The inability to remember important dates, times or events is sometimes seen as an extension of an ADDer's inability to focus. Besides focus problems, forgetfulness makes it easy to lose your job, ruin your relationship(s), or just plain disappoint everyone around you.

Hypersensitivity to Touch

• Adults with ADD sometimes are very sensitive to how their clothes feel. They often prefer loose-fitting clothes made of natural fibers. Clothes that are too tight can create claustrophobic feelings in adults as well as children.