ADHD is a behavioral disorder whose symptoms include inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. Symptoms of ADHD are noticed at an early stage and can become more noticeable as the circumstances of a child change including when they start schooling. Many cases are diagnosed at the age of 6 to 12 years. The symptoms of ADHD often improve as age goes by but most adults who get diagnosed with ADHD at a tender age continue to experience issues.
In children and teenagers, the symptoms of ADHD are well defined. The symptoms can occur in many situations including at home and at school. First, children with ADHD experience symptoms of inattentiveness. They, therefore, have a short span of attention and get distracted easily. They make careless mistakes, for example, in schoolwork. Your child also tends to be forgetful and loses things. Inability to stick to tasks that take longer periods and constant change of activities is noticed. In addition, a child may have a hard time organizing tasks.
Secondly, children with ADHD are impulsiveness and hypersensitive. They, therefore, are unable to sit still particularly in quiet or calm places. They also fidget more often and make excessive body movements. Inability to concentrate on tasks and excessive talking are imminent. They are also unable to be patient until their turn comes and in most cases act without thinking. Also, they interrupt conversations and have no sense of danger.
In adults, ADHD symptoms are harder to define because researchers have not concentrated more on adults with ADHD. ADHD is a developmental disorder that is believed cannot develop in adults if it does not first appear during childhood. However, its symptoms persist since childhood, into an individual's teenage and adulthood. Any additional condition experienced by children including dyslexia or depression can also persist in adulthood.
The symptoms experienced by teenagers and children can sometimes apply to adults with ADHD but specialists argue that the manner in which inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity affect adults can greatly differ from the manner in which they affect children. For example, inattentiveness in adults tends to worsen while hyperactivity tends to reduce. ADHD also gets subtle than childhood symptoms.
However, some specialists say ADD symptoms in adults can include carelessness, poor organizational skills, continuous loss or misplacement of things, forgetfulness, restlessness, mood swings, inability to deal with stress, and inability to focus. Also, difficulty in keeping quiet, blurting out responses, speaking out of turn, and the continuous start of new tasks before the old ones are completed is seen in adults with ADHD.
