• Has difficulty listening to what other people are saying
• Easily distracted by external sights, sounds, etc.
• Easily distracted by thoughts in own mind
• Makes careless mistakes
• Can't keep mind on something unless it is personally interesting
• Needs to read things more than once to grasp meaning
• Frequently changes plans or tasks in midstream
• Has difficulty setting realistic goals
• Has extensive, unrealistic to-do lists
• Difficulty organizing yourself no matter how hard you "try"
• Fails to arrive to appointments on time
• Multitasking for stimulation, to prevent boredom
From time to time all of us have experienced some of these symptoms. In deciding if there is a problem, one must consider how often and how severely the symptoms are revealed. Only a thorough clinical evaluation can determine if there is a condition requiring treatment.
Who has ADD/ADHD?
Many people are confused about whether a child or adult has an attention-deficit disorder. The diagnostic criteria of the healthcare industry do little to clarify the conditions called ADD or ADHD. We prefer to think of the symptoms above as comprising part of an "ADD syndrome".
A "syndrome" is a cluster of symptoms that tend to appear together. If you suffer from the syndrome called a "cold", you likely have a headache, fatigue, nasal congestion and perhaps a sore throat. People suffering from an ADD syndrome tend to have impairments not only in attention, but in memory, emotional control, behavior, cognitive flexibility and sleep.
Read more on Attention
Rating scales and computerized performance tests
Questionnaires and rating scales are good subjective measures of attention and organization issues. But for objectivity, we use computerized performance tests (CPTs) like the TOVA pictured here, and other clinically-validated measures.
Read more about ADD Evaluations
Medications are not the only answer!
Diet and supplement changes, reduced television use, outdoor exercise, brain-healthy video games and neurofeedback have all been shown to improve attention with long-term results Stimulant medications, like Ritalin, often have side-effects, they must be taken forever (they don't heal the condition), they don't teach needed skills, and they lose their effectiveness after several years of use.
Read more on Improving Attention