attention deficit disorder

attention deficit disorder   n.   Abbr. ADD A syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and often hyperactivity, and interfering especially with academic, occupational, and social performance.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

A disorder characterized by a difficulty in retaining focus, especially on tasks, for long periods of time.

Note: One of the most common reasons children are brought into therapy, ADD is often treated with the somewhat controversial drug Ritalin®, which is thought to work by stimulating the attention-focusing structures of the brain.

Main Entry: attention deficit disorder
Function: noun
: a syndrome of disordered learning and disruptive behavior that is not caused by any serious underlying physical ormental disorder and that has several subtypes characterized primarily by symptoms of inattentiveness or primarily by symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsive behavior (as in speaking out of turn) or bythe significant expression of all three —abbreviation ADD; called also minimal brain dysfunction

attention deficit disorder at·ten·tion deficit disorder (ə-těn'shən)
n.
Abbr. ADD

1. A childhood syndrome characterized by impulsiveness and short attention span, and sometimes by hyperactivity that often leads to learning disabilities and various behavioral problems.

2. See minimal brain dysfunction.