Learning The Basics Of ADD
As a parent, you want to make sure you are always looking at your child and the way they act with clear eyes. This way, you will be the first to notice if something isn't right with regards to their health or their behavior in general. Parents naturally love their children, but you won't be doing them any favors to ignore behaviors that may be indicators of certain medical conditions, such as ADD. Learn about some of the signs and symptoms of ADD in this article, so you can recognize things in your child that indicate you should take them in to the doctor and see if they suggest your child seeing a specialist for an ADD evaluation.
Understanding the basics of ADD
The first thing you should know about ADD is it is different than ADHD. ADD is attention deficit disorder and ADHD is attention deficit hyperactive disorder. What this means is, a child with ADD doesn't have to be hyperactive. In fact, they may have a very mild and quiet personality and have ADD. This condition has a lot to do with their concentration and the way they process information they are taking in. They will have a hard time paying attention to one thing and will get distracted easily, making it hard for them to finish what they start or stay on task.
Signs of ADD
Your child's teacher calls you in to talk about why your child appears to be so bright, but isn't completing their schoolwork and how they tend to skip questions, doodle on the page instead of filling in the answers or how they won't pay attention and stay focused during class. They may be disruptive, try to talk to classmates or do something else when they are supposed to be focusing on a single project.
You may notice your child doesn't seem to pay attention to you when you are talking to them. It may appear as if they may have a hearing problem at first, since they may not stop what they are doing to look at you, the way you would expect them to when you start talking to them.
Your child doesn't seem to remember certain things. Sometimes these things can be simple tasks they were told to do. They won't do them, not out of defiance, but simply because they forgot to take care of them.
Your child may lose things often, such as their jacket, shoes, homework, toys, lunchbox or anything else. No matter how many times you remind them to keep an eye on these things, they can completely forget where they put them.
They can also get bored easily. It may seem like they are going from one thing to another more than the average person would. They will have a hard time putting together a puzzle in one sitting, coloring one page out of a coloring book or even staying focused long enough to play a game all the way through with friends and family members.
If you notice these signs in your child, then you may want to take them in to the doctor to see if they feel there is reason to set up an appointment with an ADD specialist like one from Dino Peds.
