Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or commonly known as ADHD, is a developmental disorder that occurs mostly to people under the age of 19. Unfortunately, there is no cure available for this disorder. Characterized by poor impulse control, ADHD is said to be developed at the onset of childhood and is retained until adult life. It is easily noticed with people who have ADHD that they are always seeking for attention. They also cannot control their impulses as opposed to what a normal person would do in some instances. People with ADHD just move and talk carelessly and they care commonly referred to as people who act without thinking.
ADHD has basically three categories or types. The first is the Inattentive Type in which a child does not pay attention. The child may also manifest a behavior in which he does not finish his tasks and does not follow directions gets easily distracted.
The second category or type is the hyperactive-impulsive type. This one is characterized by too much fidgeting or talking. This must not be confused with a child who is just plainly talkative. Another symptom is too much running when it is not necessary. Although it is normal for children to run because it is part of being playful, kids with ADHD display this action abnormally. The third classification is the Combined Type. As observed in the naming convention, the child who has this type of ADHD shows the symptoms found in the previous two types of ADHD.
It is true that all children seem to grab people’s attention. This is because they want to be noticed. However, kids with ADHD are different in a sense that the behavior they display is not apt for their age. Children are expected to develop but if these behaviors impair the child’s normal behavior to the extent that normal activities are affected, it may be said that the child is displaying the symptoms of ADHD.
History of ADHD is dated back to the mid 20th century when people observed several characteristics in a person that is considered as mildly abnormal. This was then tagged as minimal brain dysfunction. In the time of Hippocrates, he once noted a condition whose behavioral patterns are very similar to what we know now as ADHD. The prescription which Socrates used was through proper diet in which he recommended fish instead of meat. In the early 20th century, an English pediatrician named George Still described a characteristic of children regarding issues with behavior which he believed were genetic in nature. He claimed that these children who need so much attention are not caused by poor parenting but instead of a mental malady.
Then in 1960, the term ‘hyperactive child syndrome’ came into existence. It was then interpreted at that time that this has something to do with mental retardation. This was then changed to Minimal Bain Damage in 1966 after studies were made. When DSM III came into existence, the name Attention deficit Disorder was introduced. Later on it was changed to Undifferentiated Deficit Disorder.