ADD ADHD and Women Part 3 — ADD Tip o the Day 546

 This is good enough that I’m just copying, with permission, the whole thing:

from Lisa Timms MS Special Education

Attention Deficit Disorder can take several forms in children. It is not difficult to track the child with ADD who is very chaotic. Boys generally come into this category. But then there are some types of ADD which go undiagnosed because their effects in children are less outwardly evident. This happens mainly in case of girls.

There are many girls who are called “tomboys”. They frequently exhibit some of the important features off ADD, like being more involved in physical activities, but not as reckless as the boys themselves. As a result teachers and parents jump to the conclusion that the child has no interest in academics and is basically not organized, but the possibility of ADD is seldom considered.

Besides the “tomboy” types, the “chatty” girls could also be suffering from ADD, but remaining undiagnosed. This is a fusion of over-activity and inattentiveness, and is usually touted as socially extrovert. These girls are extremely talkative than being physically active and cannot stop talking even if they are strictly warned. They also cannot tell stories comprehensively and will stray from their thoughts because of ADD.

Those whom we call as “daydreamers” could also be suffering from ADD. They do not draw any attention to themselves and are very quite in nature. However, their too much being into themselves and not giving any attention to the class is another form of ADD, contrary to the “chatty” girls. They may show anxiety and depression when given school projects, but cannot finish the projects because of their lack of staying power. This generally goes undiagnosed because the child is thought to be lazy and, parents and teachers fail to identify the disorder in time.

What is fascinating is that many girls with ADD have quite a high rate of IQ and could be called “gifted”. When a child has a high IQ there are no problems in school work, but their lack loopholes get reflected as they mature into adults. Keep in mind that ADD is not a learning disorder, and patients do not inevitably are poor performers in school. Till high school they can be quite well off, but with mounting pressure and assignments symptoms may become more and more evident.

When undiagnosed, Attention Deficit Disorder may cause a lot of harm to an individual. Children will be called unorganized, lacking intelligence and lazy, when in truth, they might be silent sufferers of ADD. They will have very low esteem of themselves, and believe themselves to be quitters or stupid because of their problems. It is crucial that the problem is identifies and treated before it becomes too late and any long-term damage is done.

Many girls with ADD ADHD go undiagnosed, but we usually think of the inattentive ones, and not the rarer hyperactive ones. Also, many women get along okay until they have children, and then the extra responsibilities tip them over.

Doug

Bonus links:

Women’s symptoms of ADD ADHD get worse after puberty. from jeg

Sometimes I do talk too much!

ADD test for women    from jeg

Difference in ADD ADHD in boys and girls