Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type, School Age

You said that your child often has problems paying attention. You also said that your child is having problems with attention in more than one place, like home and school. You did not say that your child has lots of problems with being overactive. Children with these kinds of problems have ADHD, Inattentive Type. ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder.

You said your child has some or most of the following difficulties. These are inattentive symptoms of ADHD:

• Has a hard time paying attention
• Fails to give close attention to details and makes careless mistakes
• Often gets off-track
• Often loses things (i.e. school supplies, toys, books)
• Often forgets things (i.e., forgets to turn in homework))
• Has trouble finishing class work, homework, and/or chores
• Avoids or does not like tasks that require him/her to concentrate for a long time
• Does not seem to listen
• Has problems keeping things neat and orderly

Some children with ADHD are able to focus well on things they like. For example, they can play video games for hours. Many ADHD children can get so caught up in what they like that they seem to lose track of time. They may have trouble stopping an activity they like. They don't like change. They seem stubborn or defiant when they don't mean to be. They get bored and impatient with daily routine.

You may notice that your child also does a few of the following things. Your child might not do any of these things. These are hyperactive and impulsive symptoms of ADHD:

• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
• Leaves seat at times when remaining seated is expected
• Runs about or climbs excessively.
• Has problems playing quietly
• Seems "on the go" or acts as if "driven by a motor".
• Talks too much.
• Blurts out answers (i.e. in school or in social situations).
• Has a hard time waiting for his/her turn (i.e. standing in line or playing a game)
• Interrupts or intrudes on others.

ADHD children start having problems before age 7.

ADHD is a very common childhood problem. Three to five percent of school-aged children have ADHD. It affects more boys than girls. Your child may be like other family members but just more extreme. Other people in your family may have ADHD, too.

Children with ADHD may also have the kinds of problems listed below:

• Sadness; Feeling bad about themselves
• Do not do what you ask; seem stubborn
• Trouble learning at school

Adapted in part from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Facts for Families© series (1997), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996) , and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder: Fourth Edition (1994) .