I have a friend at work that has a grandson that has been diagnosed with child attention deficit disorder. After chatting with her about it for a while I began to wonder how it is possible to tell the difference between someone with ADD and someone who is just plain difficult. It seems to be most difficult to tell with boys under 17 years of age because they tend to progress slower than the girls anyway. My grandmother used to be the head teacher of a primary school and she was quite certain that boys didn't develop intellectually anything like as quickly as the girls.

My interest raised, I decided to investigate further. It appears that there are three stages in normal development. The first stage can be seen in babies when they become focused on one thing for a period of time and ignore everything else. A child whose development stops at this stage might have a tendency towards autism.

The second stage is when a toddler is constantly finding different things of interest but never able to concentrate on one thing for very long. A child who is stuck at this stage of development might be diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder.

At stage three children's abilities mature to the point where they can focus their attention for longer periods and control where and when they change their attention and activity. This is the level of concentration that the child will need to make their classroom experiences a successful one.

My friend says that ADD isn't just about an inability to concentrate for very long. People with Attention Deficit Disorder aren't able to choose when or where to pay attention or when to stop. She told me that when her grandson crosses the road, even though he has been taught over and over how to do it safely, if he has to wait for traffic then he would suddenly go no matter what the traffic is doing. There is never any warning that he is going to do this; he just knows that he needs to cross so off he goes.

The other side of the Attention Deficit Disorder equation is the ability to focus intensely on an activity to the exclusion of everything else, including breaks. The ADD sufferer might watch the same movie over and over or complete the same jigsaw time and time again. Some people say that if this behaviour isn't recognised and treated as early as possible then it could lead to overeating, substance abuse or compulsive behaviour.

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a variation of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. People that suffer from this problem seem to be unable to relax or are constantly on the go. When seated they might be squirming or fiddling constantly, they just won't stay still. This can often be a nightmare for parents of children suffering from ADHD because the child doesn't need much sleep either. Imagine what it would be like to have a child that hardly ever sleeps and is constantly jumping around when they are awake which will be most of the time.

If you are wondering whether a child with ADD will eventually grow out of it then I'm afraid the answer is no. ADD and ADHD are manifestations of physical problems within the brain so it isn't likely to change with age. The disorder can be passed on genetically but bad discipline or poor parenting can't cause it.

How To Treat Attention Deficit Disorder:

Children can receive medication and therapy that helps to overcome the disorder, if it is diagnosed early enough. The problem is diagnosing the extent to which someone requires help, as the spectrum is very wide. Most experts seem to recommend a treatment combining medication and psychotherapy. Psychostimulants such as 'Ritalin' and 'Dexedrine' help to improve the sluggish part of the brain causing the problems. Psychotherapy helps to train ADD sufferers to pay attention, control impulses and behave appropriately in all sorts of situations.

Diet can also be very important in ADD treatment. Some children have bad reactions to certain foods like wheat, chocolate, fruit, dairy products and additives. Additives can be particularly problematic in this respect and a potential link between them and ADD and ADHD has now been discovered.

People suffering from ADD have been found to be lacking in fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6. There is a theory that proper mental function growth is critically dependent on these fatty acids. There is no conclusive evidence of this but an appropriate change in diet might well be worth a try. Omega 3 is found in fish like mackerel and salmon and in flax oil. Safflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, margarine, sunflower oil and corn oil all contain Omega 6.

There is a more positive side to ADD. During my research I found a lot of opinion that some of the most famous people from history appeared to exhibit symptoms of ADD. The list of suggestions is quite long but it includes people like Mozart, Pasteur, Einstein and Beethoven. It appears that some of the characteristic symptoms of ADD can lead to outstanding performance so take good care of your ADD child because they might be a genius.