Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  (ADD or ADHD) is a disorder of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that affects concentration and behavior. Although ADD is generally diagnosed in childhood and/or adolescence”, there are those who come forward as adults who, for a variety of reasons, may have slipped through the cracks and eluded being identified as a child having ADD.   When a child is clearly achieving below his expected abilities educationally, parents and educators look at the possiblity of attentional difficulties, among other things. When there is also blatant misbehavior in th eclassroom or at home, of the sort that might be characterized by ADD, most often that diagnosis will be made.

The diagnosis of ADD is not always straightforward, and can be tricky because ADD looks different depending on different variables. Age, gender, introversion/ extroversion, temperament, and intelligence are some of the dimensions which may effectively mask the symptoms, and allow for the individual to go undetected with the disorder completely or until adulthood, when many people bring themselves to the attention of a clinician. Another variable affecting diagnosis is the "diagnoser". Because observations of the child are filtered through another person's eyes and mind, the conclusions about the observations may be colored or clouded by the experiences and needs of the observer. ADD is not usually what parents are looking for. For example, when Bobby does things like Dad, one may conclude that "Bobby is like Dad", as oppossed to "Bobby and Dad may have ADD". This situation happens frequently when Dad's ADD has gone undiagnosed, creatring a cycle of generational misses.

When assumptions are made about the behavior instead of trying to understand the behavior, a diagnosis may be missed. In some instances, the observer misattributes the motive, holding the belief that the child may be misbehaving willfully, or even defiantly, as opposed to the possibility that this may be a deficit in the child's ability to focus his attention, control his level of activity, or contain his impulsivity.   Given the extent of the disorder, it is clear that an accurate and timely diagnosis is very important because it allows the child and parents the opportunity to take full advantage of the available choices and resources, and choices can be made about which approach(es) to take. Generally, treatment includes some form of behavior modificatrion, a structured family environment, medication, and/or usually psychotherapy because a child's (or adult's) self esteem h as become diminished to a large degree.

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