Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a group of chronic disorders that begin in childhood and sometimes last into adult life. In general, children and adults with ADHD have a hard time paying attention, concentrating, sitting still and controlling impulsive behavior. These problems can affect nearly every phase of life. Children and adults with ADHD often struggle with low self-esteem, troubled personal relationships and poor performance in school or at work.
The symptoms of ADHD fall into two broad categories: inattention and hyperactivity-impulsive behavior. In most children, symptoms appear between 4 and 6 years of age, although they sometimes may occur earlier. The signs and symptoms of inattention is that a child often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities. He or she often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores or other tasks. He or she dislikes tasks that require sustained mental effort, such as schoolwork or homework. Also, a child with inattention disorder is often distracted easily and is often forgetful. .
Signs for hyperactivity-impulsive behavior are that a child often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat and often blurts out the answers before questions have been completely asked. He or she will often interrupt or intrude on others by butting into conversations or games that others are having. Also, he or she will often run or climb excessively when it's not appropriate. As for adolescent children, it might not be running or climbing, but instead they may feel very impatient.
When children are over stimulated, they can quickly get out of control, becoming giddy and sometimes aggressive or even physically or verbally abusive. Children with the inattentive form of ADHD may seem to drift away into their own thoughts or lose track of what is going on around them.