ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder are conditions that begin in childhood, and can affect a person for the rest of his or her life. We now know that a child does not outgrow ADD as was once believed many years ago. ADD is a biological and neurological based disorder affecting how one’s brain responds to external and internal stimulus. Exactly what causes ADD is still widely unknown. There are three main characteristics present in children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD: these are hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility.

The hyperactive child is essentially always in motion. Hyperactivity exhibits itself in many different scenarios such as the child who is fidgety, squirmy, cannot stand or sit still, constantly running, inappropriately climbing on furniture, constantly talking out of turn or interrupting others, is physical restless, has the bouncing leg, or blurts out the answer constantly without waiting for his or her turn. Children with ADD or ADHD have great difficulty self-regulating and self-controlling their impulses and behavior.

Impulsivity is more associated with irritability and risk-taking behaviors. Impulsive behavior is especially dangerous for young males from age 12 through the early twenties when the risk taking behavior is often fronted with peer pressure and the trials of illicit drug and alcohol use. In true impulsivity, as seen in an ADD or ADHD diagnosis, the child or teen is unable to stop and think before acting on the behavior. In ADD, impulsivity is not a conscious choice but more of a reaction. Impulsivity often shows itself in difficulties establishing peer relationships. One is often quick to anger, and easily agitated or frustrated by peers.

Distractibility, also called inattentiveness, means one has difficulty staying focused, is disorganized, forgetful, does not always follow instructions, or is easily distracted. This is especially true regarding mundane tasks the child finds boring. The ADD child when bored will often rush through his or her work. This can lead to careless mistakes. Ironically, ADD children can easily multi-task, which means do multiple things at one time when it is something he or she enjoys.

This ability to multi-task often confuses people who do not understand how ADD or ADHD works, and may believe an ADD child is at times choosing to be lazy. This is a myth. The ADD or ADHD child is not lazy, simply because he or she can focus for hours on a fast moving video game, but is bored reading a schoolbook or doing homework.

Although the ADD child is often impulsive, hyperactive, and distractible, these are not always downfalls. By knowing a child's characteristics, the ADD child may simply need to have some classroom adjustments made to allow for his or her ADD personality. In other words, allowing the child to use his or her characteristics positively will benefit both the student and the class.

For instance, for the extremely hyperactive student, use the child to run errands for the teacher, taking lunch money to the office and passing out worksheets. This way he or she can be up and moving around. ADD people are usually very bright and highly creative. ADD people tend to problem-solve or think outside the box. Finally, if one is easily distracted he or she might consider moving the child's desk away from classroom doors and away from the teacher's desk, two of the busiest traffic areas in the room.

Adults often view an ADD or ADHD diagnosis as something negative. However, working with the characteristics often seen in ADHD anyone can master the basic characteristics especially when education begins early. Yes, there are some down sides to ADD, yet there are also many upsides. ADD does not have to rule a child's life. With consistent guidelines and a regular schedule, most children do well and become responsible ADD adults.