Attention deficit – with or without hyperactivity – is a disorder that disrupts academic learning.

There are three manifestations of attention deficit:

• Attention Deficit Disorder/Mixed Hyperactivity Disorder
• Attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity type predominant inattention
• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder type hyperactivity-predominant impulsivity

Children with ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity) have difficulty concentrating and performing complex tasks. This attention deficit is frequently accompanied by neurological hyperactivity.

The main symptoms in children are as follows:

Inattention

• difficulty in staying focused on a task for a long time (fatigability)
• signs of inattention, “head in the clouds” attitude, difficulty listening when talking to him
• frequent mistakes of carelessness (forgetting math deductions, forgetting spelling agreements, etc.)
• general disorganization (at home and in the classroom)
• frequent loss and omission of material or personal belongings
• ease of being distracted from work (sensitivity to interference)
• difficulty in following specific instructions and selecting relevant information
• poor ability to perform several tasks at the same time (listening and taking notes)
• difficulty getting to work and lack of perseverance
• tendency to get lost, to misidentify in space and time

Impulsivity

Children with ADHD tend to act or talk before they think. They often lack patience; they do not read the problem statements carefully or listen to the instructions until the end, before embarking on the work required.

Hyperactivity

Hyperactive children have great difficulty staying physically quiet and/or silent. They do not have much control over themselves and do not easily learn from the mistakes made by their hyperactivity.

Hyperactivity is frequently accompanied by attention deficit.