02/03/2026
ADD and ADHD
The term "ADD" (attention deficit disorder) was once used to refer to the form of ADHD with "inattentive only" symptoms.
Children with ADD were not overly active, and their symptoms might have gone unnoticed because their behavior was not disruptive.
The qualifying description of "with hyperactivity" was added to ADD for most children. Now, all children with this condition are considered to have ADHD. Within the ADHD diagnosis, there are three subtypes: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined subtypes.
ADHD includes three groups of behavior symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Children with inattentive ADHD may daydream and not seem to listen, get distracted easily, not care about details, not follow instructions, be disorganized, lose things, forget things, and avoid tasks requiring mental effort.
Children with hyperactive ADHD may be in constant motion, unable to stay seated, squirm and fidget, talk too much, run and climb when not permitted, and cannot play quietly.
Children with impulsive ADHD may act and speak without thinking, run into the street without looking, have trouble taking turns, cannot wait for things, call out answers before the question is complete, and interrupt others.
Children with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD show hyperactive and impulsive behavior but can pay attention.
Children with combined inattentive/hyperactive/impulsive ADHD show symptoms in all three dimensions.
From: Healthychildren.org the educational branch/website from the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP.org
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