Distinguishing attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Your baby loves your house lately has unusual symptoms at school. How do I know if my baby has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or attention deficit disorder?

You may notice that your baby has some strange behavior like daydreaming a lot at school and easily distracted when he or she does homework or chores. This leads many parents to wonder if their child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD)?

What is the difference between ADHD and ADD?

ADD is a type of ADHD but does not show symptoms of hyperactivity such as constantly walking, moving and restlessness. The difference between the two is so fragile that physicians mistakenly diagnose all forms of attention deficit disorder called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder even when the patient is not active.

Is the person daydreaming or feeling restless?

ADHD is a disorder in the brain. Illness can interfere with daily activities of children at home and at school. Your child often has difficulty paying attention and controlling their behavior and is sometimes very active. Before your baby is diagnosed with an illness, you need to pay attention to his symptoms.

Some signs to help you easily notice such as:

Inattention children: disorganized, often having problems when assigned to tasks, always daydreaming and not concentrating when talking;

Children with impulsivity: making breakthrough decisions without thinking about the dangers of harm or long-term effects. Children act quickly to get an immediate reward. In addition, your child can often annoy and influence teachers, friends or family;

Hyperactivity: unable to be silent, having difficulty sitting still, or running, jumping, climbing, talking too much, especially in inappropriate situations.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is divided into 3 categories as follows:

Inattention (ADD): Children with ADHD in this group most prominent symptoms are inattentive;

Impulsive hyperactivity: children with hyperactive ADHD − impulsive face hyperactivity and over impulsiveness;

Combination of hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention: children in one group had symptoms in both groups.

How is attention deficit disorder diagnosed?

ADD is usually diagnosed if a child under 16 years of age has 6 or more inattentive symptoms (5 or more for adolescents) and occurs for at least 6 consecutive months without signs of hyperactivity. Symptoms include:

Having trouble paying attention;

Dislikes or shuns jobs that require long-term mental focus such as doing homework;

Difficulty doing homework at school, at home or even while playing;

Unorganized and forgetful activity;

Doesn't seem listening when talking directly to others;

Not paying attention to details;

Frequently loses in arguing with friends;

Cause careless mistakes;

Do not follow instructions.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, although not dangerous to life, will be a barrier to the development of the child's personality in the future. Children need attention and love from parents to develop comprehensively. If you observe that your child has many of the above symptoms, the parents need to bring the child to a specialist for timely diagnosis and treatment.