Attention Deficit Disorder Student Handbook
Charlotte Amenkhienan, Ph.D. 

The three main characteristics of ADD are:

1.  Inattention

• difficulty organizing tasks
• difficulty staying on task (quick loss of interest) and maintaining effort
• difficulty with transitions or prioritizing tasks, following instructions, and completing school work
• problems with misplacing things needed for tasks
• becoming easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
• difficulty remembering daily activities

2.  Hyperactivity

• experiences minor motor restlessness, such as fidgeting of hands
• has difficulty remaining seated and talks excessively
• has difficulty regulating restlessness to situational demands
• has difficulty channeling physical restlessness in productive directions
• has difficulty listening to others
• becomes easily distracted while reading

3.  Impulsiveness

• speaks or acts without considering the consequence
• has difficulty taking turns
• has feelings of being out-of-control, which can result in obsessive compulsive behaviors
• has need for high stimulus activity