Symptoms and Complications
An attention deficit problem is officially described as a disorder when it is developmentally inappropriate and the symptoms first appear before the age of 7 and significantly interfere in at least two settings from school, work, family, or social life.
Symptoms of a child with ADHD fall into 3 large categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. They may include:
- fidgeting or squirming excessively
- having difficulty remaining seated
- being easily distracted
- having difficulty awaiting his or her turn in games
- blurting out answers to questions
- having difficulty following instructions
- having difficulty sustaining attention
- shifting from one activity to another
- having difficulty playing quietly
- often talking excessively
- often interrupting
- often not listening to what is said
- often losing things
- often engaging in dangerous activities
There's no official symptom list for adults, but symptoms are similar to those listed above.
People with ADHD are much more likely to experience a number of other nervous system disorders. These may include:
- learning disabilities in 25% to 30% of people with ADHD despite normal intelligence
- tic disorders (such as Tourette's syndrome) in 20% of children with ADHD. More than 50% of children with Tourette's are also diagnosed with ADHD
- motor control delays (poor coordination) in 50% of children with ADHD
- language problems, especially with expressive language (e.g., vocabulary)
- obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD)
- oppositional-defiant disorder
- conduct disorder
- autism
- anxiety disorders (25%)
- depression (20% to 30%)