ADHD
From TeensHealth -
http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/adhd.html
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD used to be known as attention deficit disorder, or ADD. In 1994, it was renamed ADHD. The term ADD is sometimes still used, though, to describe a type of ADHD that doesn't involve hyperactivity.
ADHD is a medical condition that affects how well someone can sit still, focus, and pay attention. People with ADHD have differences in the parts of their brains that control attention and activity. This means that they may have trouble focusing on certain tasks and subjects, or they may seem "wired," act impulsively, and get into trouble.
Symptoms and Signs of ADHD
Although ADHD begins in childhood, sometimes it's not diagnosed until a person is a teen — and occasionally not even until someone reaches adulthood.
Because ADHD is a broad category covering different things — attention, activity, and impulsivity — it can show up in different ways in different people. Some of the signs of ADHD are when someone:
- has difficulty paying attention or staying focused on a task or activity
- has problems finishing assignments at school or home and jumps from one activity to another
- has trouble focusing on instructions and difficulty following through
- loses or forgets things such as homework
- is easily distracted, even when doing something fun
- has problems paying close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
- has trouble organizing tasks and activities
- has difficulty waiting one's turn
- interrupts or intrudes on other people
- blurts out answers before questions have been completed
- fidgets with hands or feet or squirms about when seated
- feels restless
- talks excessively and has trouble engaging in activities quietly
to continue reading the article, click here:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/adhd.html