What is Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD?

By: Steve Gee

A colleague of mine at work has a grandson diagnosed with child attention deficit disorder. When I talked to her about it, I wondered how you could tell whether it was ADD or 'just difficult or slow'. It is particularly difficult to tell with boys up to the age of about 16. Where do you draw the line? My own grandmother was a primary school Head teacher for many years and she used to say that boys did not develop intellectually as quickly as girls.

I started to get interested at this point so I did a little investigating. I found that normal development consists of three stages. Stage one starts in babies when they get seemingly mesmerised on one thing for a long time and totally ignore everything else. If this stage lasts too long and they don't develop out of it then it might be an indication of autism in the child.

The second stage is when a toddler is constantly finding different things of interest but never able to concentrate on one thing for very long. A child who is stuck at this stage of development might be diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder.

It seems that at the third stage, a child develops the ability to focus their interest for longer periods and to shift their attention at will. This is considered to be a mature pattern of attention and concentration and is the level required to be successful in the classroom.

My friend says that ADD isn't just about an inability to concentrate for very long. People with Attention Deficit Disorder aren't able to choose when or where to pay attention or when to stop. She told me that when her grandson crosses the road, even though he has been taught over and over how to do it safely, if he has to wait for traffic then he would suddenly go no matter what the traffic is doing. There is never any warning that he is going to do this; he just knows that he needs to cross so off he goes.

The other side of the Attention Deficit Disorder equation is the ability to focus intensely on an activity to the exclusion of everything else, including breaks. The ADD sufferer might watch the same movie over and over or complete the same jigsaw time and time again. Some people say that if this behaviour isn't recognised and treated as early as possible then it could lead to overeating, substance abuse or compulsive behaviour.

A variation on ADD is ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. People with this are often described as unable to relax or are constantly 'on the go', to the extent that even when sitting down, they might constantly be 'fiddling' or squirming in the chair. For parents this can be a nightmare as the child requires very little sleep and there is no break from all the restless activity.

If you are wondering whether a child with ADD will eventually grow out of it then I'm afraid the answer is no. ADD and ADHD are manifestations of physical problems within the brain so it isn't likely to change with age. The disorder can be passed on genetically but bad discipline or poor parenting can't cause it.

Treatments for Attention Deficit Disorder:

Children can receive medication and therapy that helps to overcome the disorder, if it is diagnosed early enough. The problem is diagnosing the extent to which someone requires help, as the spectrum is very wide. Most experts seem to recommend a treatment combining medication and psychotherapy. Psychostimulants such as 'Ritalin' and 'Dexedrine' help to improve the sluggish part of the brain causing the problems. Psychotherapy helps to train ADD sufferers to pay attention, control impulses and behave appropriately in all sorts of situations.

Diet can also be very important in ADD treatment. Some children have bad reactions to certain foods like wheat, chocolate, fruit, dairy products and additives. Additives can be particularly problematic in this respect and a potential link between them and ADD and ADHD has now been discovered.

It has been discovered that people suffering from ADD tend to be lacking in fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6. It is thought that proper mental function growth is critically dependent on these fatty acids. There isn't any conclusive evidence of this but a change in diet might well be worth trying. Omega 3 is found in fish like mackerel and salmon and in flax oil. Safflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, margarine, sunflower oil and corn oil all contain Omega 6.

There is a positive side to ADD. While I was researching I found a lot of opinion that some of the most famous people in history exhibited symptoms of ADD. These famous people include Mozart, Pasteur, Einstein and Beethoven. It seems that some of the characteristic symptoms of ADD can sometimes lead to outstanding performance so look after your ADD child because they might be famous one day.