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For information on Bridges to Practice training in your area, please contact:
Dr. Rochelle Kenyon, Project Director
rkenyon721@aol.com

Just How Prevalent Is It?

ADD or ADHD is an attention disorder. A person diagnosed with ADHD is seen as being over active, restless, having a short attention span, and easily distracted. Think about students in your classroom. Do any of them exhibit these types of behaviors? It would not be surprising since ADD or ADHD affects about five percent (5%) of children and (3%) of adults in the United States. Although ADD/ADHD affects people of all ages, it is often first diagnosed during childhood or adolescence. It has not been until recent times that research is beginning in the adult population.

How Do I Know?

How do you know whether someone has ADD or ADHD? There are no specific tests that are available to diagnose this disability. There are no medical, physical, or psychological types of assessment tools to use. So how is this disorder ever diagnosed? Generally, a diagnosis is made based on observations where two or more of the following features are reported:

Poor attention skills/distractibility Deficient impulse control/impulsivity Hyperactivity

But don't most of us occasionally have problems attending to things, controlling what we say or do, or feeling like we just have to get up and move? Of course we do!