Symptoms of ADD in Adolescents Forgetfulness difficulty staying on task (quick loss of interest) and maintaining effort Lack of focus difficulty with transitions or prioritizing tasks, following instructions, and completing school work Losing things problems with misplacing things needed for tasks Difficulty finishing projects becoming easily distracted by extraneous stimuli Restlessness difficulty remembering daily activity difficulty organizing tasks These symptoms hinder success at work and get in the way easy flow activities at home or with friends. Many adolescent do not realize that they have teen ADD.

 

These are the questions adolescent need to ask them to see if they have ADD.

 

* Do you have problems remembering to meet with friends or teachers?

* Do you have trouble concentrating or focusing your attention on one thing?

* Do you often start multiple projects at the same time, but rarely finish them?

* Do you have trouble with organization?

* Do you procrastinate on projects that take a lot of attention to detail?

* Are you restless or fidgety?

* Do you often lose or mislay things

* Do you have trouble staying seated during classes or other activities?

 

But a long and persistent history of restless, impulsive, or inattentive behavior like Fidgeting, interrupting conversations, losing things, forgetting the reason for a visit to the departmental store may be a sign of adolescent ADD. This is especially true if these behaviors have existed since elementary classes and result in problems at school, social outings and home. Ask yourself these questions above and think about how long you have experienced these symptoms and how often they occur. If these symptoms are interfering with your success at school, at home or with friends, you should talk with your parents or teachers so that they contact healthcare professionals about a possible clinical evaluation.

 

Causes of ADD in Adolescent Experts believe that ADD has a large genetic component, and is caused by a neuro-chemical disconnection between two parts of the frontal lobes inside the brain. This affects the central nervous system�s development, and thus causes impairment in the ability to concentrate.

 

Treatment of Adolescent ADD Current adolescent ADD treatment practices focus on management of symptoms through a combination of treatment methods:

 

* Behavior modification (including coaching and therapy)

* Medication

* Combination therapy (medication and behavior therapy) Treatment should be individualized for each patient.

 

The treatment process has three basic stages:

 

* Baseline evaluation: As part of the diagnostic evaluation, the physician or healthcare professional determines the target symptoms and the baseline degree of impairment. * Treatment strategy: The physician or healthcare professional forms a treatment strategy by prioritizing the target symptoms and the baseline degree of impairment.

 

* Symptom monitoring and strategy adjustment: A key part of Adult ADD treatment is monitoring of symptoms in various areas (such as learning, academics, family interactions, and peer relationships) and settings (such as home, workplace, social context.

 

Some Useful sites:

 

http://www.addplanner.com/index21a.html

http://www.sharperprograms.com/ SharperBrain

http://www.adultadd.com/2_3_treatment/2_3_treatment.jsp http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/add3.

 

Holly M.

Boerne,TX

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