Hi World,
Thanks for joining me here. I don’t have allot of time to sit down and write tonight so I am just going to leave another excerpt of ADD information I thought you might like to take a look at. Also, I have a request for anyone who is reading. I am trying to pull together a list of people in history who have made a difference for the good of all. If you happen to find a great success story about someone who has/had ADD AD/HD please contact me directly. You can leave a me a comment here or call (between 9:00 am EST and 9:00pm EST (260 918 4707), I would really enjoy hearing from you! Dave
Lastly if you find a spelling error in this document (I won’t be surprised) I don’t want to hear about it. I have always sucked at spelling and if my spell checker fails to suggest what I deem to be a good alternative to my badly spelled word . . . I will go with my word (Misspellings and all) !
God is Good!
Hyperactivity
Excessive activity is the most visible sign of AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]. The hyperactive toddler/preschooler is generally described as “always on the go” or “motor driven.” With age, activity levels may diminish. By adolescence and adulthood, the overactivity may appear as restless, fidgety behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).*
Symptoms of hyperactivity, as listed in the DSM-IV, are:
often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat;- often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected;
- often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness);
- often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly;
- is often “on the go” or often act as if “driven by a motor;”
- often talks excessively.
* (APA, 1994, p. 84)
Impulsivity When people think of impulsivity, they most often think about cognitive impulsivity, which is acting without thinking. The impulsivity of children with AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] is slightly different. These children act before thinking, because they have difficulty waiting or delaying gratification. The impulsivity leads these children to speak out of turn, interrupt others, and engage in what looks like risk-taking behavior. The child may run across the street without looking or climb to the top of very tall trees. Although such behavior is risky, the child is not really a risk-taker but, rather, a child who has great difficulty controlling impulse. Often,the child is surprised to discover that he or she has gotten into a dangerous situation and has no idea of how to get out of it. Symptoms of impulsivity, as listed in the DSM-IV (p. 84), are:
- often blurts out answers before questions have been completed;
- often has difficulty awaiting turn;
- often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).
It is important to note that, in the DSM-IV, hyperactivity and impulsivity are no longer considered as separate features. According to Barkley (1990), hyperactivity-impulsivity is a pattern stemming from an overall difficulty in inhibiting behavior. In addition to problems with inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity, the disorder is often seen with associated features. Depending on the child’s age and developmental stage, parents and teachers may see low frustration tolerance, temper outburts, bossiness, difficulty in following rules, disorganization, social rejection, poor self-esteem, academic underachievement, and inadequate self-application (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Defining Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder*
Instead of a single list of 14 possible symptoms as listed in the prior edition of the DSM (the DSM-III-R), the DSM-IV categorically sorts the symptoms into three subtypes of the disorder:
- Combined Type — multiple symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity;
- Predominantly Inattentive Type — multiple symptoms of inattention with few, if any,of hyperactivity-impulsivity;
- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type — multiple symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity with few, if any, of inattention.
Other essential diagnostic features of AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] include:
- Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity must persist for at least six months and be maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental levels;
- Some of the symptoms causing impairment must be present before age 7 years;
- Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g., at school/work, and at home);
- Evidence of clinically significant impairment is present in social, academic, or occupational functioning;
- Symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder and are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or Personality Disorder).
The above information originates from the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
