What is the most common attention deficit disorder symptom? There are a lot of symptoms that could lead to a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and a lot of these are used to diagnose other conditions also which makes diagnosis challenging.

How can you tell if you or a loved one has ADD? Obviously, the final diagnosis comes after an evaluation by a skilled professional, but the hallmarks of ADD/ADHD include similar childhood symptoms and persistent adult symptoms that interfere with work and relationships, all throughout life:

If a kid has ADD/ADHD, even if he/she is officially diagnosed, he/she is at risk for having ADD/ADHD as an adult. A child with ADD/ADHD typically demonstrates symptoms of not being able to sit still, listen or follow directions, regardless how intelligibly they’re presented. He/she may constantly fidget and tend to blurt out inappropriate comments at inappropriate times. Or he/she might just seem to always be “spaced out” or daydreaming (more common in girls than in boys with ADD).

In adults, the difficulty of being able to concentrate and organize becomes more prevelant than in kids. Adults with ADD/ADHD have an extremely difficult time concentrating. They can not follow conversations and continue to unintentionally zone in and out. Finishing tasks may feel impossible, although they might have started many. ADD causes adults to get really easily distracted or forgetful, which then leads to errors or incomplete work.

Another attention deficit disorder symptom affects organization. Keeping things in place both at home and work may be an enormous challenge for somebody who suffers from ADD. So, they’re typically viewed as just being overly messy.

In kids, hyperactivity, another symptom of ADD, could be pretty obvious to identify – a hyperactive child might bounce around a lot and never sit still, even when seated. But in adults, hyperactivity manifests itself differently. Frequently adults with ADD get easily bored, irritated and experience mood swings. They tend to be restless and full of nervous energy and just unable to relax, making quiet activities seemingly impossible. Some also feel the need to talk continuously.

Another symptom is trouble controlling impulses. In kids with ADD, impulsitivity is seen when they blurt out answers or constantly interrupt others’ conversations or activities. An adult with ADD may have a difficult time managing finances due to their impulsive purchases. Impulsitivity also affects decision-making. Somebody with ADD may have a pattern of making sudden decisions “on a whim” or have trouble listening to other people.

If somebody with ADD/ADHD remains untreated, the disorder could disrupt everything from his/her career to  relationships, health and financial stability. While most of us occasionally have challenges in these areas, the persistent chaos and disorganization of ADD/ADHD could make managing the problems worse and worse.

While much is still being learned about ADD/ADHD and how to tackle one attention deficit disorder symptom at a time, we see that there are also positive traits associated with this condition. Impulsivity, boundless energy and the tendency to switch tracks constantly might turn into creativity, flexibility, the ability to rapidly adapt to new information or tremendous drive and commitment.