Attention deficit disorder
a condition, usually in children, marked by inattentiveness, dreaminess, and passivity.
Abbreviation: ADD.
(no longer in technical use) .
Contemporary Examples
“ADD [attention deficit disorder] is just a euphemistic way of saying, ‘I have limits,’” Brown writes.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You? Lizzie Crocker December 28, 2014
Another student, Monica Wilson, says she struggled with attention deficit disorder her freshman year.
Mental-Health Breakdown: When Harvard Fails Its Students Eliza Shapiro March 17, 2013
Farmer attributes this to the “ADD (attention deficit disorder) of humanitarian” operations in Haiti.
Haiti’s Deadly Cholera Fiasco Eve Conant October 23, 2011
noun
a disorder, particularly of children, characterized by excessive activity and inability to concentrate on one task for any length of time ADD
n.
(abbreviated ADD) became a diagnosis in the third edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (1980); expanded to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (“the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone;” ADHD) in DSM-III (1987).
attention deficit disorder at·ten·tion deficit disorder (ə-těn’shən)
n.
Abbr. ADD
A childhood syndrome characterized by impulsiveness and short attention span, and sometimes by hyperactivity that often leads to learning disabilities and various behavioral problems.
See minimal brain dysfunction.
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.
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