What is Attention Deficit Disorder?
The official name for ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder. It has a related malady called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also referred to as ADHD, a term originally coined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1994. Most people give it one name or the other.
It’s name has changed coinciding with the different advances made in the scientific community through field trials, where researchers have come up with the condition that ADHD has many different variations. Along the same line, ADHD is divided into three different types, according to the primary symptoms associated with the condition, including impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness.
The three variations of ADD and ADHD are:
- ADHD Predominantly Inattentive
- ADHD Predominantly Combined
- ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive Impulsive
These variations are used to distinguish between ADD sufferers who experience different combinations of symptoms. Some people with ADD will never show trouble sitting still, while others may overwhelmingly show a lack of inattentiveness and difficulty staying on tasks. Another subtype may have an ADD afflicted person pay proper attention to a task but easily lose focus because of hyperactive and impulsive tendencies. The combined type is the most common subtype, with most children experiencing a combo of symptoms from all three.
Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is a neurological disorder that is estimated to impact between 3 and 5% of children in the United States.
Common ADD/ADHD symptoms include:
- aggressive and/or impulsive behavior
- excessive talking and/or movement
- passivity or hyperactivity
- impaired concentration
Usually, difficulty with reading and continuous learning problems are the hallmark of LD, or Learning Disorder and ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.)
Your child, or student, may demonstrate an inability to sit still, or a sense of being ‘out-of-control’. This child may also become over or under stimulated. This is all a result of inadequate or erroneous neuronal connections in the part of the brain where the child experiences and interprets their environment. The behavioral irregularities are enough to upset the entire family.
Reticular Activating System and Attention Deficit
Although the exact causes of ADD/ADHD are unknown, medical science has determined the disorder to be the result of a dysfunction in the Reticular Activating System, the area of the brain that coordinates learning and memory and maintains consciousness. This area of the brain is also responsible for processing and sorting out incoming information and stimuli from the individual’s inner and outer worlds.
The Reticular Activating System is responsible for the proper transmission of nerve impulses between the spinal cord and those areas of the brain that process incoming stimuli. If neurons in these regions of the brain that control learning and memory are either insufficiently stimulated or over-stimulated, the child’s Reticular Activating System will be poorly equipped to assimilate incoming information, and will therefore result in some combination of inattentiveness or hyperactivity, often creating stress and frustration for the child.
Paying close attention and concentrating is very difficult due to the inadequate number of neurons working properly. There are not only less neurons but also there are less connections than in a normal brain.
With these connection problems, learning and memory may be impaired and passivity, aggressiveness, and hyperactivity can occur.
ADD/ADHD impacts children most prominently in the classroom, where prolonged concentration and the ability to follow instructions are often required for the child’s academic success. Because of this, many parents today are faced with the problem of ADD/ADHD and how to treat it. But the problems can overflow to the home, and parents can become frustrated as they work with their child to do homework or encourage their child to do chores around the home. You shouldn’t feel guilty about becoming frustrated; it’s a difficult situation for all involved. But you’ve taken a major step by investigating the causes of ADD/ADHD and by trying to find a natural solution to this situation. Great job!!
Stan Headley, MD, ND-Discusses ADD/ADHD
Listen to Attend information from Stan Headley, MD, ND-Author of ‘A Practical Guide to ADD/ADHD’ [Note: requires MacroMedia Shockwave-Flash]