ADD Symptoms in Children & Adults – Checklist

Attention Deficit Attention Deficit Disorder known as  ADD  is often confused with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  (ADHD).

ADD is a biological, brain based condition that is characterized by poor attention and distractibility. ADD Children are subject to inattentiveness and lack of concentration. This condition is a common mental disorder people develop during childhood, adolescence and can be present during adulthood. If left untreated, children with ADD tend to perform tasks such as their school/work and social relationships poorly.

There are several websites offering data sheets designed for determining if an individual has ADD.

Caution; we highly recommend you contact a trained and licensed health professional to provide an accurate, reliable, or valid diagnosis. Specialty trained and/or experienced neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists will provide you with these services.

The criteria used for development of an ADD checklist are based on the following symptoms:

Inattentiveness:

•  Difficulty in focusing, and paying attention to details.
• Girls, and boys have problems completing school assignments
• Adults also have a problem completing a job
• They often have poor listening skills

Procrastination:

• They put off tasks requiring mental effort
• They procrastinate when given a work assignments, school assignments, and chores.
• However; if a task does interest them they will complete it.

Forgetfulness:

• Children and adults with ADD can become forgetful.
• They tend to lose or misplace things such as: books, keys, school work, pens, pencils, eye glasses, dates and times, places, names of people, meetings etc.

Impulsiveness:

• They tend to be rude, interrupting people while they are talking
• Cut in line at school, call out answers in the classroom
• People with ADD can be addicted to sugar
• As a person becomes older they may become addicted to drugs, cigarette smoking, and alcohol.

Disorganized:

• They can’t seem to keep anything in the proper place.
• They tend to stack stuff everywhere.
• When going places they seem to be in a hurry but are usually late.

It’s helpful for a person with ADD to maintain a consistent schedule daily. Doing each task for a specific time like homework, play time, TV watching, getting up, bedtime, and work time. Michael Phelps winner of 7 Olympic Gold medals used swimming as his task.

Help them get organized by providing a special place for keeping their toys, books, clothes, etc. Praise them when they have done well in completing a task like remembering where they have put something, or when they didn’t procrastinate when given an assignment. This helps them feel good about themselves and relieve the stress they feel.

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