Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD also known asl Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder)

ADD is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. ADD affects 3-5% of the school population. Reserchers have not yet identified the cause of ADD, but they do know that genetics play a role in which half of the children diagnosed with ADD also have a family member(s) with ADD. An individual can have more than one disability or disorder. Some studies have shown up to 50% of people diagnosed with a learning disability also have ADD, but one does not cause the other.

The difference between Dyslexia and ADD

Individuals with dyslexia and individuals with ADD have similar characteristics and are quite often confused and even misdiagnosed. Both can cause difficulties in reading and paying attention because reading is so demanding the individual quickly gets fatigued, which limits his or her ability to sustain concentration but for different reasons. A student with dyslexia has difficulties in reading that typically stems from not being fluent due to significant problems with reading accuracy. A dyslexia dysfluent reading is characterized by misreading words. A student with ADD can also struggle with fluency; however, his or her dysfluent reading is characterized by omitting words or word engines, skipping over punctuation, and losing his or her place with reading. Both can hurt reading comprehension and can cause a student to dislike or avoid reading.

Both can also have trouble with writing and or handwriting. A dyslexic student has significant problems with spelling, grammar, proofreading, and organization. Whereas, an ADD student struggles with organization and proofreading.

Due do these differences and causes of a student’s struggles with reading and writing, it is crucial to get an accurate diagnosis to get the appropriate intervention and not cause further complications.