Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - more commonly termed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - is usually described as being made up of three core behaviours:

• inattentiveness

• impulsiveness,and

• overactivity.

In addition, there is a cluster of associated behaviours which vary in their presentation:

• insatiability, social clumsiness, poor coordination, disorganisation,

• variability, poor self-esteem and

• specific learning disabilities.

The Facts About ADD/ADHD

• ADD is a real condition which mildly affects up to 10 percent of all children, 2 percent of children being severely disadvantaged.
• The peak time for the majority of parents to ask for help is after the child starts school. Most ADD children come to attention in the junir school years.
• ADD is mostly a 'boy problem' (Note Thom Hartmann has a different view!). Boys are six times more likely to be referred for help than girls. (It is suggested the true ratio in the community is actually 3:1. Many girls remain undiagnosed as they tend to suffer more silently than boisterous boys.)
• ADD refers to a reasonably consistent cluster of behaviours that include inattention, impulsivity, overactivity, insatiability, disorganisation and social clumsiness.
• ADD is usually a hereditary condition. Most ADD children have a close relative (usually male) affected to some degree by the same problem.
• Pure ADD is usually transmitted to the child as pure ADD. ADD with specific learning disabilities, for example, ADD plus developmental reading disorder (dyslexia), usually appears in the next generation in the same combination.
• ADD is a chronic problem which affects learning and behaviour as the child matures. Its presentation will change but the problems will continue to cause trouble throughout the school years.
• Sixtey per cent of ADD children will carry some of their different behaviours with them into adulthood. Many of the world's most famous innovators, entrepreneurs and high profile people suffer from ADD (Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison)
• Treatment of ADD comes on many fronts. This includes putting in place and maintaining structures, reducing stress, avoiding confrontations, using behavioural techniques, esteem boosting and the use of stimulant medication. And Now NLP!.
• Diet does not cause ADD but has a small part to play in the management of ADD